A Shattered Vale
by Darkbetrayer
Summary: Remember a time when things made sense? Humans killed Grimm, Grimm killed humans, and criminals could make an honest living? Back before teenagers ruined everything? Roman Torchwick remembers. When Neo finds a boy who can frighten Grimm, Roman decides this could be useful, while he pretends to locate the boy's friends.
1. Encounter

**Well, a friend of mine showed me RWBY and I enjoyed it immensely. I have been writing fanfiction for a while and thought, hey this series would be fun to write for. At the same time, I recently discovered the joy of crossovers, they are way more fun to write than I thought they would be. I discussed a couple ideas with some friends and a crossover between RWBY and Toaru Majutsu no Index came to mind. Some detailed needed worked out, but we agreed the premise would be interesting and thus, this fanfiction was born. I hope everyone who reads this enjoys it, but, as most of you know, you can't please everyone.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

A mysterious green light began to creep across the sky and was accompanied by ominous black lightning.

Even though Academy City was the forefront of technological advancement, all the lights in a several block radius around one specific skyscraper had gone out. The green light was brightest directly above this tower and the lightning seemed to be originating from it. The clouds were swirling in a vortex, while leaving the very center open. The green light fell down upon the building, more specifically the two people occupying the rooftop. They were a strange pair. One was an elderly man with black hair that held a single strip of grey. His clothing was nothing more than a plan black robe with dark blue trimmings. He was standing in front of a large pentagram drawn directly onto the roof. When the star's point touched the circumference of the circle, a pillar of ice stood, roughly a foot thick and around six feet tall. Strange runic symbols were inscribed all around the circle and on the ice pillars. The man raised his eyes to the second person on the roof, who was trapped in the center of the pentagram.

A brown haired girl in a light blue dress with white polka dots, who couldn't be older than around ten, was flouting a couple feet above the ground. She was completely submerged in a dome of dark swirling water. Even though it was water, the girl appeared to be able to breathe normally, based on her chest rising and falling, but was merely unconscious. The man walked around the pentagram one last time, checked to make sure everything was perfect, before he pulled out a book from an inside pocket of his robe. He frowned when he heard an explosion a couple floors below him.

 _They are here,_ he thought. _There's no time to waste. Heh, time, that's a laugh. Once I cast this spell, it won't matter what they do now, fate can be easily changed._ He opened the book and began to chant. "Gods who govern the realm of time and the fate that binds this world, I reach out to you. I speak your names to grant me access to the Rivers of Fate, Manāt, Chronos, Hemsut, Styx…" He continued to chant, even though the door to the rooftop burst open and two high school boys burst out onto the roof.

"You bastard!" one of them roared at the man. The boy was pretty skinny with pale skin and moppy white hair. His eyes were red and flashing dangerously. It was obvious to everyone he was furious. He was wearing a simple stripped black and white t-shirt with black pants. "You think your constructs could stop me!?"

"We need to take him alive!" the other boy yelled before the white haired boy could do anything he would regret. The second boy had spiky black hair, but otherwise look like a normal high school student. He was wearing a plain white button-down shirt and black pants. "Knock him out and I'll stop his ritual!"

"You better save her," grunted the first boy. His body rocketed forward while the ground beneath him cracked. He didn't even have to bend his knees. It was like his body just flew forward on its own. He reached out a hand toward the man, who had not given them the slightest bit of attention. Thirty feet closed in an instant and the boys hand was inches away.

And then the boy went right through the man.

"What the hell!?" he roared. The man's torso was completely gone, where the boy had plowed through, but water seemed to grow from his legs and head to reform his body. The body was clear for a moment, before the color returned, and the man looked perfectly fine. "Is his body made of water or something!?"

"No idea!" the black haired boy replied, as he reached the girl. Now the man actually took notice.

"You fool!" he roared. "If you free her now-…!" The boy didn't listen to the man, as he reached up and touched the water surrounding the girl with his right hand. With the sound of breaking glass, the water disappeared and the girl began to fall. The boy stepped forward and caught her in his outstretched hands. The ice towers began to crack and the black lightning disappeared, but the green light only grew in intensity.

"She's breathing," the black haired boy reported to the other.

"Good," he replied and cracked his knuckles. "Now I'm going to beat this guy into the ground until he wishes for death."

"You two don't have any idea what you have done!" the man roared at them.

"We stopped you from using this girl in your ritual," the black haired boy answered angrily.

"I was using her Network as a substitute for the Rivers of Time," the man said and looked up toward the sky. His face paled. "Your interruption has caused everything to become unstable. Time and space is beginning to tear apart!"

"What?!" Both of the boys yelled in surprise. Before anyone could say anything else, the green light above them suddenly intensified by a hundred fold and all of them were engulfed in the blinding light. The light faded and the rooftop was empty except for the crumbling ice pillars.

* * *

"So there we were," a bubbly short redhead with turquoise eyes said to a table of six other people. Her name was Nora Valkyrie. She was wearing a white top with a heart in the middle and a pink skirt. Normally the students would be wearing their school uniform, but it was Saturday and they were all heading off to do various weekend activities after finishing breakfast. "In the middle of the night…"

"It was day," a boy by the name of Lei Ren interrupted in a monotone. He had long black hair tied in a ponytail and a single pink streak on the left side of his head. He wore a dark green, diagonally-buttoned, long-sleeved tailcoat with black and gold trimming and pink cuffs.

"…We were surrounded by Ursai."

"They were Beowolves."

"Dozens of them!"

"Two of them."

"But they were no match and in the end Ren and I took them down, then made a boatload of Lien selling Ursa skin rugs."

"She's been having this reoccurring dream for nearly a month."

"Wish you all could join us," a young girl with short black hair, silver eyes, and wearing a black blouse with a red cape interrupted before Nora could speak again. Ruby Rose was the youngest girl at the table at only fifteen, while everyone else was seventeen. "It's Saturday and we were going to have a team building exercise, but Blake hasn't come back…"

"So it's turned into a shopping trip!" a blonde girl with long hair and lilac eyes interrupted with enthusiasm. Yang Xiao-Long was Ruby's half-sister, as they had different mothers. While Ruby was young and could be considered cute, Yang was older and what most would consider sexy. The difference was only intensified by Yang's revealing tan jacket over a yellow crop top and black mini-shorts. It also helped that Yang was much more endowed than her younger sister. "I need to replace a top Pyrrha tore in our last spar."

"I'm sorry about that," Pyrrha Nikos apologized again. She had long red hair tied in a waist length ponytail and vivid green eyes. Her armor consisted of a strapless bronze top and a black, A-line miniskirt with red ankle-length drapery that wrapped around her skirt. Unlike the other girls, Pyrrha wore elaborate bronze greaves that started below her mid-thigh, continuing downwards into her boots. She also had a bronze headpiece she rarely took off. "I'm more than willing to pay for a replacement."

"It was an accident," Yang replied and waved her hand dismissively. "There's always the chance of accidents when fighting the four time Mistral Regional Champion. Eh, P-money?" She nudged Pyrrha in the side. Pyrrha merely smiled politely and continued with her breakfast.

"…and then your team got detention," Ruby continued and looked at the tall blonde boy with dark blue eyes across from her. His name was Jaune Arc and he was wearing a white diamond-shaped chest plate cut off above his lower abdomen and white spaulders with rerebraces. Underneath the armor, he had a black short sleeve hoody and wore a pair of blue pants. Jaune was Ruby's first friend at school and even though they were on different teams, they were pretty close. Jaune was the leader of team JNPR, which consisted of him, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren.

"It wasn't on purpose," Jaune sighed in defeat and dug into his cereal. "Nora didn't mean to destroy the classroom."

"Three," Ren corrected.

"Three?" Ruby and Jaune asked and turned towards him.

"The explosion not only destroyed our classroom, but the two adjacent ones took damage too," Ren explained and sipped his tea.

"Nice one, Nora!" Yang laughed and high-fived the other girl.

"Never do anything halfway," Nora agreed excitedly. "I wanted to see if I could turn Dust into a crystal if I applied enough force. Class was over, so I thought it would be okay."

"She made a pile of fire dust and hit it with Magnhild," Pyrrha sighed. Magnhild was Nora's giant two-handed hammer.

"I tried to stop her," Jaune added. "But I noticed too late because I was having difficulty getting my own mixture right."

"You actually thought that would work?" the last girl asked in exasperation. She had pale skin with pale blue eyes and long white hair pulled back into an off-center bun tail. The girl was wearing a thigh-length strapless dress with faint color gradation from white to pale blue at the hem. Weiss Schnee was the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers and exporters of dust in the world. She knew more about dust than the rest of the group put together. Dust was a source of energy in their world of Remnant. Each type of dust had an elemental property which, when used correctly, could power anything like vehicles, weapons, and household appliances. Since Weiss came from a high class family, people who didn't know her tended to see her as stuck-up and cold. "Fire dust has always been extremely volatile. How did you even survive?"

"With the power of Nora and our Fearless Leader's shield!" Nora stood up and raised one hand into the air while pointing at Jaune with the other. Everyone else glanced at Ren, who only shook his head.

"We are lucky Goodwitch only gave us detention," Jaune added. "I think she understand what Nora is like." Ren nodded.

"What do you have to do?" Yang asked. "Clean up the classrooms, write an essay, scrub the bathrooms?" She shuddered at the last one. "That would be horrible."

"We have to help Professor Port with an excursion into the Emerald Forest," Pyrrha explained. "He wants to capture a few smaller Grimm for practical lessons." Grimm were creatures of destruction and were known to lack a soul. They have prayed on mankind since the beginning. That is why humans were forced to harness the power of dust, to survive the threat. This is what the school the students attended was for. They were training to become Hunters, people who could fight Grimm. They used specialized weapons, dust, and a manifestation of their soul called Aura. Aura was an ability that all those with a soul could use and, when unlocked, increased their defense, offense, natural healing, and, with enough training, unlocked special abilities unique to the individual.

"Sounds like you four got off easy," Weiss commented absentmindedly. "I'm surprised Professor Goodwitch didn't give you all a month's worth of detention."

"Come on, _Weiss_ Queen," Yang said with a laugh. No one else did though. "Be happy our friends only have to suffer one day."

"I hope Professor Port doesn't knock us all out with one of his tales," Jaune muttered and everyone silently agreed. Professor Peter Port was a pretty well-mannered man, but his teaching skills always bored the class. Ruby fell asleep constantly and Jaune was often surprised Peter could make tales of defeating Grimm with a cheese grater sound boring.

"Cheer up, Jaune," Ruby said and gave him a thumbs up. "I don't know when we will get back today, but let's do a joint team building activity tomorrow!"

"Sounds good Rubes," Jaune replied and glanced at the time.

"Have to go already, Vomit Boy?" Yang asked.

"How long are you going to call me that?" Jaune asked exasperatedly. He had motion sickness on vehicles and when they arrived to Beacon by airship for the first time, Jaune had accidently thrown up all over Yang's shoes.

"Until you earn a new nickname," Yang replied with a grin. "They were brand new and I had to _throw_ them away." No one laughed.

"Speaking of shoes," Weiss added. "Maybe we can finally get Ruby some formal ones."

"I hate lady stilts," Ruby told her and cross her arms while pouting.

"You need to grow up at some point," Weiss sighed.

"I am grown up," Ruby said proudly. "I drink milk!"

"Jaune," Pyrrha said to get his attention. "We really should get going. We need to grab supplies before meeting Professor Port."

"You're right," Jaune agreed. "Nora, have you had enough pancakes yet?"

"That's a silly question," Nora replied, her mouth stuffed with the delicious breakfast food. "I can never have enough pancakes!" She swallowed what was left. "But my plate is empty if that is what you meant."

"That's what he meant," Ren reassured her. "You can have more when we get back."

"Ren's the best!"

"Okay team," Jaune said and stood up. "Let's get packed." Nora, Ren and Pyrrha stood up too. He then turned to the other three girls "Have fun on your trip, Rubes, Yang, Snow Angel." Weiss glared at him when he called her the stupid nickname and he quickly back away. Nora saw him defenseless and jumped on his back.

"Onwards, Fearless Leader steed!" she cried and kicked him in the ribs.

"Ouch, Nora! That hurts!" Jaune looked over at Ren for help, who smirked ever so slightly and looked away. The expression was obvious. _Better you than me._ Jaune resigned himself to his fate as Nora's steed and headed back toward their dorm with Ren beside him. Pyrrha chuckled lightly and followed.

"I wish he would stop using that childish nickname," Weiss sighed. "It's disgraceful."

"He should call you Weiss Cream," agreed Yang.

"You need to stop too."

"Hey Yang," Ruby asked. "Do you know if Blake will meet up with us in Vale?"

"Don't think so, sorry." Yang put down her bowl. "With classes canceled yesterday thanks to Nora, Blake told me she was going to a new bookstore." Yang snickered. "I should have followed her. I bet she went to meet Sun." She then sighed. "To late for that now. Anyway, she messaged me saying she missed the last Bullhead and was staying with a friend. Reading her smut and then staying with Sun. She is going to get it from me when she comes back. This is a week's worth of teasing, minimum."

"Get your mind out of the gutter," Weiss told Yang with a roll of her eyes. "Blake can take care of herself and wouldn't let anyone take advantage of her."

"I'm sure they are just having a sleepover," Ruby said dismissively. Weiss opened her mouth, but closed it immediately under Yang's glare. Yang sheltered Ruby from a lot of adult related things. "So are you two ready to get this trip underway!?"

"I am," Weiss answered. "But we are not spending all day at the weapons shop," Ruby's smile flickered slightly, "and we have to get you some clothes that are not just red and black." Ruby stuck her tongue out at her. "Quit being childish. We can have fun, but there are some things I have to pick up today too."

"Fine," Ruby conceded and then burst out smiling again. "I feel today's going to be special, so let's start it off with a bang."

"I always start my day off with a _Yang!_ " Yang said with a huge grin.

"Boo!" Ruby and Weiss were actually in agreement.

* * *

"As you can see," Professor Peter Port, a slightly overweight middle-aged man, possibly in his mid-fifties, said to Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren. He wore a double-breasted burgundy suit with gold piping and buttons. His hair was white and he sported a spruce mustache. He had a blunderbuss outfitted with a battle axe slung over his shoulder. "We have three special reinforce cages set up here." He gestured to the cages placed at the entrance to the Emerald Forest near Beacon Academy. They were solid with small air holes and the doors were opened. "Our mission today is to fill them with Grimm for a couple lessons on Monday. Grimm are quite difficult to keep for any length of time, which is why we have to do it this weekend. Normally, I do this task alone or take second years and up, but Glynda mentioned you four volunteered for this task."

"Yes!" Nora exclaimed happily. "This is so much more exciting than writing essays!"

 _She's not wrong,_ Jaune thought. _But I think I would prefer the less dangerous option._

"Is there a specific type we should be after?" Pyrrha asked.

"Beowolves or Boarbatusks," Peter replied.

"Question," Jaune asked Peter. "How much more difficult is it to capture a Grimm alive?"

"Extremely," Peter told him. "While it is easy to injure and kill a single Grimm, capturing them is tricky. They don't fall unconscious, even if you break their bones. We want them in one piece though. Ah, this reminds me of the first time I captured a Grimm alive. A beowolf, one of the more common types, but a fearsome one nonetheless. His claws were sharp enough to cut trees and its pack surrounded me. I was out of ammo and had to rely on brute strength…" He went off and Jaune felt his attention fading. Nora was leaning against her hammer and soon fell asleep. Ren and Pyrrha were still standing and appeared to be trying to pay attention, but it was obvious they were struggling.

Minutes dragged on and Jaune was about to fall asleep when Peter suddenly stopped.

"Any other questions on what to do?" Jaune snapped to while Nora fell onto the ground and looked around in shock. Before Ren or Pyrrha could reply, Peter continued. "Excellent. I will head off this way and you four head off that way. Stick together for your safety. Remember, Beowolves or Boarbatusks, we don't have room for Ursai. Good luck!" He ran off into the forest before any of them could respond.

"Uh," Jaune muttered, scratched his head, and turned at the others. "Okay, Beowolves and Boarbatusks, check. Any ideas on how? We might get lucky and find a single Boarbatusks, but Beowolves are almost always in groups."

"I think if we encounter a group," Pyrrha suggested. "We need to thin the numbers down until only one is left. Then we lure it back to the cages and trap it."

"Sounds like a solid plan," Ren agreed. "Jaune, you should be in charge of directing which one we capture."

"Okay," Jaune replied with a nod, but his insides squirmed. He appreciated his teammate's confidence in him, but he still worried his orders would one day get his teammates hurt. He was a lot less skilled than the others in combat, so he replied on them a lot.

"I hope we find a huge pack!" Nora cheered. "I want to see how many I can line up and hit with a single swing. My record is six! Come on, Ren!" She grabbed her childhood friend's arm. "Let's find some Grimm!" She rushed off and Ren was forcefully dragged along behind her.

"Shall we go too?" Pyrrha asked Jaune.

"I suppose so," Jaune agreed and then sighed. "I still remember our initiation here. I was woefully underprepared and if it wasn't for you…"

"Enough Jaune," Pyrrha said forcefully, but also with a trace of kindness. She put her hand on his shoulder. "You have come a long way since then and have shown time and time again you are a good leader. In fact, remember when we fought the giant Death Stalker, you barely knew our abilities and yet came up with a plan to take it down. You only lack confidence, so try believing in yourself."

"Thanks Py," he replied. "You really are the best partner anyone could ask for." Pyrrha blushed, but Jaune didn't see it. "Now, let's go see if we can keep Nora from attracting every Grimm within a ten mile radius."

"Well, since Grimm are attracted to negative emotions, I don't think Nora's personality will be able to." Both of them made eye contact and then laughed.

* * *

"I'M SO BORRREEEDDD!" Nora complained loudly a short time later. "This was supposed to be fun!"

"It's only been an hour," Pyrrha said. "Professor Port said we would be here at least until lunch… I think."

"Still," Jaune said and looked around. "Something seems off. Last time we were thrown into this forest, Grimm kept swarming us."

"I agree," Ren spoke up. "This area is unnaturally devoid of Grimm activity."

"Perhaps a different view is in order?" Pyrrha suggested.

"Good idea." Jaune turned to Nora. "How about you take a look from that tree?"

"Okay Jaune-Jaune!" Nora replied excitedly and swung Magnhild in its hammer form at the ground. Using an explosive dust charge in her hammer as she jumped, she was able to use the force to fly up in the air to one of the top branches of the tallest nearby tree Jaune indicated. She anchored herself to the trunk with the end of the hammer and moved her other hand in a makeshift visor over her eyes as she scanned the area. "It's quiet Fearless Leader!" she called down to Jaune.

"That's…unusual?" Jaune muttered and rubbed his chin. "What do you think?" He turned toward the others.

"If these weren't Grimm," Pyrrha mumbled. "I would almost say this feels like a trap." Grimm were relatively mindless. They moved on instinct and their desire to kill people.

"Perhaps we should return and regroup with the professor," Ren suggested. "He might have some insight into this behavi-…" He was cut off by Nora.

"Incoming Ursa!" Nora's warning came down loud and clear. At her words, everyone instantly reached for their weapons. Jaune pulled out Crocea Mors, a simple arming sword with a blue handle and a golden cross-guard, while the sheath transformed into a white shield with gold trim and his golden emblem. Miló and Akoúo̱ were Pyrrha Nikos' red and gold weapon and shield. Miló was capable of transitioning between three forms: a javelin, a Xiphos, and a rifle. Out of Ren's sleeves two green automatic handguns equipped with collapsible blades slid out seamlessly into his hands. They were called StormFlower.

"Where?!" Pyrrha called up to Nora.

"In the sky!" That took a second to sink in.

"Wait, what?!" Jaune yelled. Ursai resembled bears, they could not fly. The only flying Grimm that came to mind were Nevermores, which resembled a large black bird. _There's no way she would get them confused._

"There!" Jaune's eyes traveled in the direction Nora indicated to the black dot in the sky growing in size as it approached them. It took a second, but he saw and recognized the stock frame, black fur, boney spikes on its shoulders and back, along with the white bone-like mask with red details. "Incoming!" They realized why Nora said that. It was descending right at them.

"Spread out!" Jaune roared to the others. Ren leaped to the right, Pyrrha darted to the left, and Jaune ran forward. The Ursa flew down and hit the ground behind them with a loud crash, before sliding forward from the force of its flight. It hit a large tree and the sound of the trunk shattering echoed across the forest. Nora jumped down from her branch and the four hunters approached the Ursa. "That's an Ursa Major." The Ursa was larger and had bony plates on its back and limbs.

"A flying Ursa!" Nora said excitedly as she bounded around with a seemingly inexhaustible amount of energy. "Can we keep it Ren?! Can we?! It's the only know flying Ursa in existence! I promise to walk it, play with it, brush it, feed it pancakes, and then once it has accepted me as its Queen, we can train it to be our transport all around Beacon! Doesn't that sound…!?"

"Nora," Ren interrupted her calmly, while at the same time covering her mouth with his hand. "It's dead." The black smoke had already begun to rise into the air from the Grimm's body. Grimm never lasted long after death, which made studying their anatomy difficult, if not impossible. The entire body would vanish in a couple minutes at most.

"Aww." Nora had the face of a child who had been told Christmas was canceled.

"Look at this," Pyrrha pointed out as she neared the Ursa. The face and lower body had been completely smashed by the impact when it hit the ground, but she was referring to its back. "There's damage to the arms and legs, along with the armor on its back. All of this wasn't caused by the fall. Something…" She paused for a moment. "Threw it."

"What could be strong enough to throw an Ursa Major like that?" Jaune asked nervously.

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Pyrrha replied softly.

"We definitely shouldn't be fighting it," Ren said and continued to cover Nora's mouth with his hand so she couldn't object. "But something unknown this close to Beacon? We have to investigate."

"I don't really want to," Jaune sighed. "But I agree with you Ren. However," he held up a finger, "We are only investigating. If things go bad, we bail, find Professor Port, and warn Beacon. Agreed?" The other three nodded. Pyrrha smiled. Jaune was awkward and goofy most of the time, but he could take charge in the middle of missions. He was a natural leader and that was probably why he was put in charge of Team JNPR.

"From the direction it landed," Ren said. "We need to go that way." He pointed.

"It came from super far away," Nora added. "We should hurry."

"Let's go team," Jaune said and they took off. They reached their destination after about ten minutes of full out running. Thanks to their Aura, the distance wasn't an issue and they wouldn't be exhausted when they arrived. A clearing was just up ahead and they stopped when they began to hear noises.

The sounds of howls and a roar permeated the silence.

"What's the plan Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.

"Nora take right, Ren take left. Pyrrha, with me." Jaune pointed as he ordered his teammates. "Move quietly to the tree line. Our goal is to find out what threw that Ursa, not to fight Grimm. Unless we are spotted or someone is in trouble, we stay hidden. Understand?" The others nodded. "It sounds like a fight is taking place, so we should be able to remain undetected. Okay, let's move, quietly." He added that last part again while he glanced at Nora. They spread out, but remained close enough to assist if someone was caught, and made their way to the tree line. Jaune and Pyrrha peered out from behind a tree. There were half a dozen Ursai, none of them major one as they were smaller and without plating, and a dozen Beowolves, bipedal black furred Grimm that could also run on all four legs. They had white masks with red marking, similar to Ursai, and spikes coming out of their back. Each of them was roughly the size of a human, but also wielded very lethal looking claws. They were formed up in a circle and what was being surrounded shocked Jaune.

A single unarmed white haired boy around their age was standing in the middle of all the Grimm.

 _Who is that?_ Jaune thought to himself as he watched. His eyes fell on the outer ring of trees surrounding the clearing and received another surprise. There were maybe twenty dead Grimm slowly disappearing. He gestured to Pyrrha and she nodded. Jaune wasn't sure what to think of the situation, but his first thought was the boy could fight without a weapon if he had survived that long. He still couldn't see what had the power to throw an Ursa Major. He felt Pyrrha nudge him with the tip of her spear to jolt him out of his stupor, but he didn't get a chance to say anything before an Ursa and three Beowolves charged the boy. Jaune was about to order his team to help, but they would be too slow to react. He quickly found out the order would have been unnecessary. The Beowolves reach the boy first and slashed at them with their claws. The boy didn't even turn to look, as his eyes were focused on the Ursa. The claws made contact with his skin.

Then they immediate flew away from the boy. From the loud crack and odd angles, the arms had been broken.

 _What the…?_ Jaune couldn't believe what he saw. _Was this a semblance?_ From the quiet gasp next to him, Pyrrha must have been in a similar mindset. They could only watch in stunned silence as the Ursa reached the boy, the Beowolves had fallen backwards from the sudden arm breaking. The Ursa reached him, stood on its thick back legs and swung a great clawed hand at the boy. The boy only reached up with his own hand and touched the bear's claw. With a sickening rip, the arm of the Ursa was torn away from its body. The boy's hand kept moving and the claw was thrown like a knife into the head of one of the other Ursai. It collapsed into the ground as the claws sunk deep into its skull, but the boy didn't seem to notice. He then stepped forward and touched the Ursa he had disarmed (Yang would be proud), in its chest. The bear was sent flying backwards, crashed into another Ursa, and kept going until it stopped by slamming into a thick tree. The trunk broke and the tree fell onto both Ursa.

"Oh, my Oum," Jaune muttered. "I think we found who threw the Ursa." Pyrrha only nodded her head in agreement. The boy looked like he had everything under control, though Jaune still had no idea who he was. Suddenly, the boy grabbed his head with one hand and stumbled. He fell on one knee and seemed to be in pain. A Beowolf sensed weakness and charge, but its head snapped back when it tried to bite his neck. The effort caused the boy to stumble even more. _He's injured,_ Jaune realized. The decision was made in an instant. "Help him out!" he called out and his team charged. The Beowolves, Ursai, and the boy all noticed them rush out of the trees. The nearest Beowolves charge them, but Ren and Nora reached them first.

"Finally!" Nora cheered and brought her hammed down on one of the Beowolves. She crushed it with one strike. Jaune had been on the receiving end of her inhuman strength before. Her hammer weighed quite a bit and she could swing it around with ease. Two more Beowolves reached out claws toward her, but a green blur appeared behind them. The blades on Ren's guns swiped through the air and the Beowolves heads fell separate from their body. "Thanks Renny!"

"Don't let your guard down," Ren warned and turned his attention the rest of the Grimm.

"I think Pyrrha has things taken care of here," Nora replied as a red and gold spear flew through the air and penetrated the skull of one of the Ursa, right between the eyes. Pyrrha kept running and held out her hand. A light black aura appeared around her spear and it flew out of the head of the Ursa, which collapsed onto the ground dead, and traveled through the air into her outstretched hand. Pyrrha jumped over a swipe from one of the last two Ursai while her spear changed into a sword. She swiped downwards and cut deep into the arm of the Ursa, but it was too shallow. It roared in pain, but turned to face her. She only grinned as it attacked her with its other arm. She raised her shield and deflected the blow as she closed in. A couple quick slashes with her blade was enough to bring the Grimm down.

They were doing well, but the Grimm on the other side of the boy were closing in. "Nora!" Jaune called out. "Shield jump!"

"Okay," she replied and jumped onto his shield. He pushed at the same moment Nora jumped to springboard her over to the other side where she knocked back three Beowolves when her hammer hit the ground. Jaune didn't stop and ran right up to the boy as another Beowolf tried to strike him. Jaune raised his shield and felt the claws scrape against it, but he was used to them by now. An Ursa would be tough to block head on, but Beowolves were more adapt for speed. He raised Crocea Mors and cut horizontally, slicing the Beowolf in half. Another one tried to bite him and he bashed it in the face with his shield while severing its arm with his blade. A rain of bullets from Ren's guns finished it off and Jaune was able to position his back to the boy. "Are you okay?" he asked the unknown individual.

"I didn't need your help," was his curt reply.

"We offered it freely," Jaune told him. "It's obvious you are injured. Though, I would like to know how you took down so many."

"What the hell are those things," the boy asked. "Dark Matter clones?"

"What?" Jaune asked confused, but the boy didn't answer. _There shouldn't be anyone who doesn't know about the Grimm and what the heck is 'Dark Matter?'_ The boy instead had grabbed his head and grunted in pain. Jaune was then distracted by another Beowolf. Pyrrha was able to finish off the remaining Ursa, while Nora and Ren wiped out the other Beowolves. Jaune made sure none of the Grimm reached the boy and directed the others to make sure there were no holes in their defenses. When all the remaining Grimm were killed, Jaune turned back to the boy. "Hey man, are you really okay?" Judging from the fact the white haired boy was on his knees and barely seemed to be conscious.

"Shut…up," the boy gasped and pulled something out of his pocket. The effort caused him to fall down on his side. The object clutched in his hand kind of reminded Jaune of his Scroll, but it flipped open instead of sliding. "Find… this… girl!" A picture flashed on the device's screen before the boy collapsed onto the ground.

"He needs medical attention," Ren said, as he knelt down and checked the boy's vital signs. "Wait a second… he's never unlocked his aura."

"What?!" exclaimed Jaune, Nora, and Pyrrha.

"He has aura, yes," Ren explained. "But it's not unlocked."

"How did he throw those Grimm around like rag dolls then?" Nora asked. "Oh, maybe he's a superhero and just defeated a legendary Grimm and that is why he was injured…"

"Save it for later Nora," Jaune interrupted and he picked up the boy's device. His face paled when he saw the picture. "Uh, guys… he was in the forest looking for this girl." He held up the picture and the others glanced at it. It was a photo of a young girl, maybe ten years old, with brown hair, brown eyes, and a blue dress with white polka dots.

"If she's alone out here…" Pyrrha gasped and held a hand up to her mouth.

"This day keeps getting better and better," Jaune mumbled. "Okay, we are going to have to split up. Group one will search the surrounding area for this girl. Group two will take this guy back to Beacon and hopefully run into Professor Port on the way to explain the situation."

"How do you want to divide up?" Pyrrha asked.

"You and Ren are our best trackers." Jaune already knew what the teams would be. "Plus, you two can handle yourself if you run into more Grimm. I'll carry this guy back." He knelt down and threw the boy over his back. Jaune was surprised at how light he was, but should not have been because the boy was pretty scrawny. "Nora, you will travel with me in case we run into Grimm. It will be difficult for me to defeat them and protect this guy."

"Roger Fearless Leader," Nora said and saluted. "No Grimm will get pass Special Force Member Nora!"

"Riiight," Jaune told her and then turned to the others. "Cover as much area as you can, but stay close. If you come across Grimm in numbers you can't handle, retreat. If you don't find any signs within an hour, head back. Okay?" Ren and Pyrrha nodded. "Pyrrha, you make the call when to head back." She nodded. "Good luck. If possible, he should have closure when he wakes up." None of them could look at each other. "Let's go Nora."

"Okay." She was a little more subdued as they turned back to Beacon. Pyrrha gave Jaune one last look before she and Ren set out to scout the area.

* * *

"You can't make me go in there!" Ruby cried loudly as she gripped a light pole.

"Come on Ruby," Yang told her, while tugging on her arms. "It's one store and we even went and got your weapon parts first."

"Quit being a child," Weiss sighed exasperatedly and held a hand up to her face. "You are causing a scene." Several people had looked as they saw Yang try to pry Ruby off the light pole. "If we stop for ice cream afterwards will you act your age?" _Seriously, she's the leader of our group?_

"I suppose," Ruby said reluctantly and let go after Yang released her. "Why do we have to get me lady stilts anyways?"

"Because you need them for formal occasions," Weiss explained for what felt like the hundredth time. "Otherwise, what will happen, and we all know it will, you will wait until the last minute and choose something that barely fits and looks horrible."

"She has a point sis," Yang agreed.

"Betrayer!" Ruby accused and pointed at Yang.

"Give it up," Yang replied with a smirk.

"Arg!" She threw up her hands into the air. "Fine!" She started muttering. "Still don't see why I can't wear boots all the time. Ice cream might be worth it though." Yang grinned at Weiss who only shook her head back.

"It won't take long," Weiss reassured her. "Besides, Yang and I have stops we want to make too. So come on."

"I guess I have no choice," Ruby sighed and finally accepted her fate. "You both are right anyway-… oomph!" Something small and fast collided with her in the gut and she fell to the ground. Yang and Weiss turned to see what happened and saw a small girl with brown hair laying on top of Ruby. The girl couldn't be more than ten and was wearing a very childish blue dress with white polka dots. Thanks to Ruby's Aura, the pain disappeared almost instantly and she looked down at the girl. "Hey," she said and shook the girl's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Owe! MISAKA whines as MISAKA feels like she hit a truck." The girl blinked and looked at Ruby. "Oh MISAKA is really sorry about not watching where MISAKA was going MISAKA apologizes quickly." The girl jumped off Ruby and bowed.

"It's not a problem," Ruby reassured her and stood up. "See, I'm fine." She then glanced at Weiss and Yang. They had similar looks of surprise on their faces as they stared at the girl. All three of them noticed her strange way of talking.

"Where were you rushing off so fast?" Yang asked the girl, while Weiss peered around to locate her parents.

"MISAKA is looking for her guardian MISAKA explains. Have you seen him? He has white hair, red eyes, around your age, and should be wearing a white and black striped shirt. He also will probably have an angry expression at MISAKA'S disappearance MISAKA adds as MISAKA uses her hands on her face to show his angry look." She pulled back the skin around her eyes to make them narrow, like someone was glaring. Yang and Ruby snickered, but Weiss looked more concern.

"When did you last see him?" she asked kindly.

"Oh, has our Weiss Queen's heart has thawed at the sight of a child in trouble?" Yang whispered and Weiss glared at her. "Or is it because he has white hair and might be a long lost relative?"

"Shut up," Weiss hissed back. "More than one family can have white hair."

"He was leaving to go to the store for some coffee MISAKA replies. MISAKA was waiting for him to return when everything went dark. MISAKA vaguely remembers seeing him and the Savior before a flash of green light. The next thing MISAKA remembers is waking up in this city." She looked around. "Do you happen to know where Academy City is? MISAKA asks."

"Never heard of it," Yang answered. "You are currently in Vale."

"Oh." The girl looked around and seemed to be slightly troubled.

"I can check the area real fast for someone that fits the description," Ruby volunteered as she raised a hand. "I'll be back in a sec!" _Maybe Weiss will forget about what we were about to do._ She disappeared and the only thing left was a small pile of rose petals that floated down to the ground.

"Woah! MISAKA exclaims in surprise. She can teleport!"

"Not quite," Yang laughed. "Her semblance is speed. She's going to check the surrounding area for your friend. A white haired boy is pretty unique, so it shouldn't take long."

"Semblance?"

"She must not know about Aura yet," Weiss whispered to Yang and then turned to the girl. "Let's say it's an ability unique to her." The girl nodded in understanding. "While we wait for Ruby to return, my name is Weiss Schnee…"

"I'm Yang Xiao-Long," Yang added and waved.

"…and you said your name is Misaka?" Weiss continued.

"MISAKA'S name is Last Order, MISAKA clarifies, but MISAKA is surprised you know the name." Yang and Weiss blinked. The same thought crossed their mind.

 _Something is off with this girl. What kind of name is Last Order?_ Before either of them could say anything, Ruby popped back next to them.

"Sorry," she apologized to the girl. "I didn't see anyone who fit your description in the area."

"Thank you for looking, MISAKA says as MISAKA expresses her gratitude but also tries to hide her disappointment."

"It will be okay," Ruby and Yang said together and knelt down next to Last Order on each side.

"We should postpone our plans until we can either find her guardian or find security to take her in," Weiss suggested.

 _Yes!_ Ruby thought happily. _No lady stilts today!_

"If Ruby couldn't find him," Weiss continued. "Then I suggest we notify-…" She stopped talking when she felt the draft under her skirt. She saw Yang's, Ruby's, and Last Order's expressions of disbelief first, before she saw the culprit.

A young boy had flipped up her skirt.

"It's white!" he called out to a couple others kids, who all burst out laughing. The boy had no idea what he had just done, or how close he was to death. Weiss's face turned red in a combination of embarrassment and fury. She had reached for the mechanized rapier on her hip, but Ruby had jumped up to stop her.

"Let go, Ruby," Weiss growled. "I'm going to kill that brat." The boy ran over to his friends and they were still laughing.

"You can't!" Ruby warned as she held onto Weiss like her life depended on it. "You know what will happen if we use our Hunter Skills on civilians, especially kids!"

"Don't care!" While Weiss and Ruby struggled, Yang was the only one who noticed Last Order had ran past them in a blur. She appeared to be running toward the group of kids.

"You might want to watch this," Yang told her friends. "My Yang sense is telling me something is about to happen."

"Yang sense?" Weiss and Ruby asked simultaneously. However, they followed her eyes and noticed Last Order, who seemed to be reprimanding the other boys, all of who were older than she was by a year or so. Judging from their laughter, whatever Last Order had told them, they didn't take seriously. One of them pushed Last Order away and she frowned. Then a grin slowly appeared on her face, one Ruby recognized immediately. It was the same type of grin that appeared on Yang's face before she went on a rampage. The girls weren't sure what Last Order was going to do, but watched in anticipation and curiosity.

A small spark of bluish-white electricity flickered above her head.

"AHHH!" All the boys cried out in pain as electricity shot out of Last Order's hand at them. They started running down the street while she kept shooting a few small bolts at them. She only stopped when the boys were too far away that she risked hitting others. With a satisfied smirk on her face, she bounded back over to the girls.

"What just happened?" Ruby asked in amazement.

"MISAKA said they should apologize to MISAKA's new friend Weiss, MISAKA explains. MISAKA was told if a boy ever lifted her skirt, MISAKA should shock them. The same thing applies to friends, but MISAKA wanted to give them a chance to say sorry first."

"Aww," Weiss cooed. "You are such a nice girl. I wouldn't have given them the chance to apologize."

"I bet they found Last Order's response quite…" Yang paused for dramatic effect. " _Shocking_!"

"Yang!" Ruby chastised and Weiss groaned. This time, their hatred of Yang's puns was broken by the sound of laughter. The three girls turned to see Last Order laughing.

"MISAKA gets it!" She continued to giggle at Yang's joke.

"Oh no!" Ruby gasped in horror.

"What?!" Weiss asked her in alarm.

"Yang's not going to stop now!" No one laughed at Yang's jokes and now that someone had, Yang wasn't going to let the opportunity slip past.

"I bet those boys didn't expect to _hertz_ so much!" Yang continued.

"Please stop!" Weiss begged while Ruby booed.

"But I'm just getting _amped_ up!" Yang replied.

"Oum help us," Ruby sighed in defeat.

" _Watt_ are you talking about Ruby?" Yang asked with a grin.

"If you keep this up…," Weiss warned her.

"Are you going to _ground_ me?"

Weiss and Ruby both booed this time.

"You two don't understand comedy," Yang told them with a roll of her eyes. "Why don't we ask how our new friend _currently_ feels about my jokes?" She gestured proudly to Last Order who continued to laugh.

"MISAKA enjoys your wordplay MISAKA admits. MISAKA's guardian does not have a normal sense of humor so there are not a lot of jokes at home."

"How about we get a quick snack before we continue to look for your guardian?" Yang asked Last Order. She really just wanted to spend more time with someone who enjoyed her puns.

"MISAKA is quite hungry MISAKA admits."

"Then it's settled!" Yang cheered and walked off holding Last Order's hand, while Ruby and Weiss followed.

"Question Ruby," Weiss said in an undertone so Yang would not here. "I just want to make sure, but Yang wouldn't try to take the girl back to Beacon with us if we can't find that guy?"

"She knows she can't," Ruby replied. "She would have to try to sneak…. Oh no, she might now that I think about it. She has never had someone laugh at her jokes if they weren't trying to flirt with her."

"We have to know when to put out foot down then," Weiss told her and Ruby nodded. They sat down at a table outside of a small ice cream shop and waited for Yang to order for them. Ruby wanted to talk about how they were supposed to find Last Order's guardian, but Weiss was actually distracted by something that just occurred to her. Weiss assumed the electricity was part of Last Order's semblance, but Last Order didn't seem to know what a Semblance was. _Did someone unlock her Aura and not tell her? I suppose I could check when she and Yang get back._ Part of her didn't want to poke into something that wasn't her business, but she was curious. Eventually, Yang returned, arms ladened with ice cream cones, with Last Order right behind her.

"You never told me what you wanted," Yang told them. "But I'm pretty sure my baby sis wanted Strawberry Chocolate Chip…"

"Yay, thanks so much Yang!"

"…then Vanilla for our Weiss Cream…"

"Stop calling me that."

"… and finally, for our new lifelong friend," Yang finished and passed over a type of chocolate ice cream to Last Order, who graciously accepted it. "Shock-o-Late!"

There were two bangs as Weiss and Ruby slammed their heads on the table.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **I think this is a good place to stop for the first chapter. Next chapter will have our favorite criminal, Roman Torchwick, and his companions. His antics are sure to make this crossover much more interesting.**


	2. Enemy of Grimm

**Well, I didn't expect the crossover to attract so much attention. I was planning to work on something else, but when I woke up the following day, saw a lot of interest in this story. I thought, why not write another chapter? This one should have the summary for this story make sense. After all, you can't have good plot without conflict of some kind. This chapter is a big part of the buildup for a series of unfortunate events that will spiral out of control. I don't want to spoil too much here, so I'm going to move to the comments.**

 **Guest: I'm sure the Kami-disease will have to fight the Jaune Arc charm for control at some point.**

 **SilentXD7: I have a lot of plans for this one. Touma's luck is going to start off in full swing and of course, it's all because of a girl.**

 **FireDusk: You know both of the series are actually pretty similar in a lot of ways. Super strong teenagers, a lot of light scenes with dark underlying plots, and takes place around a school? It seems pretty similar. The biggest question is does Semblances work with Science abilities? If it works like magic and science did in the Index universe, Accelerator should not unlock his aura.**

 **shiroryuu01: I kind of want Misaka to meet Nora. Imagine the full power of lightning hitting Nora. You thought she was strong before…**

 **vietnamese guy: I write what I feel like writing. If I rather write something else for a bit, I will. You should never force yourself to write or things end up badly.**

 **Shadow: Thanks. The first chapter is always the toughest for me. You have to set everything up in it.**

 **Dead Salvation: You might have to wait a bit for Accelerator to start doing some stuff, but he will shine eventually.**

 **WPDC888: I'll leave some hints starting in this chapter about when it takes place. So, what's your favorite ice cream? Mine is Neapolitan.**

 **98kazer: Boooooooooo!**

 **Crimson Miles: I plan to continue it, but it will have Touma. Accelerator will have to wait a few chapters before he does cool things again, but he will. I always found writing Accelerator really easy compared to a lot of other chapters.**

 **The Rupture: Stuck is probably not the best work to use. For full explanation, see chapter below.**

 **Salvare: How about, "Monty, help us?"**

 **Tyf & Guest: Thanks for the support.**

 **Cyber dragonarmy: First season will get you caught up plenty for this story, but a couple things in the second would not hurt.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

Neo was not happy.

Her full name was Neopolitan, but preferred her nickname. She had a last name, however no one besides her knew it. It was kind of ironic that, even though she hated her full name, her outfit and favorite ice cream carried a similar theme. Her hair color was half pink and half brown, with white streaks on the pink side. Neo's natural eye color could change between brown, pale pink, and white in any combination, at her discretion. She wore a white jacket with a pink interior, brown pants, black gloves, and black and white boots with very high heels. Under her jacket was a brown corset, curved in the middle and at the bottom, which exposed her hips. Several necklaces were hung around her neck. Currently, she was sitting on a large branch in a tree outside of Vale, thinking about what had upset her.

First, there was her boss.

Her boss wasn't stupid. He was skilled, resourceful, and cunning, while also not being too bad at combat. Nothing compared to Neo, but he knew his way around a fight. The problem today was he was in a really bad mood. He had been prepared to steal a large shipment of dust from the Schnee Dust Company at a Vale dock. From what she had inferred from his rants, everything was going exactly as planned, until two Faunus, a race similar to human but with an animal part, got involved. He should have been able to handle them, but then a girl he nicknamed 'Red' showed up again, along with some other girl who could fire a giant laser. Retreat was the only option after that. Neo believed if she had been there, everything would have worked out fine, but her boss had insisted she wasn't needed for that simple job. Unexpected things happen in their line of work, she knew this. The retreat had been successful, so he should have learned from it and moved on, but then he had the nerve to snap at her when she innocently pointed out his incompetence.

After a brief argument, where several nameless minions, she never bothered to learn the names of the boring help, were blown away and one was stabbed, Neo decided, completely of her own accord, to leave and let her boss cool down. It was not the most opportune time to ask for a pay raise. Instead, she went to her favorite store to buy her favorite ice cream to improve her mood. The day got worse. It turned out they were sold out of Neapolitan ice cream. She had been forced to buy another flavor. This normally would not have been a big deal, but she was already in a foul mood. If the people who knew her saw the dark look on her face, they would have wet themselves and run for their lives. However, Neo managed to refrain from destroying the store and killing everyone around her. She only finished her food and left. Her boss stressed they needed to keep a low profile for a bit to make the military think they moved on. This order was going to make stress relief more difficult.

Hence, this was the reason Neo was outside the city.

If she couldn't beat people up, then Grimm were the next best option. She could pummel as many as she wanted without anyone caring. In fact, if someone saw her, she could just pretend to be a Hunter and no one would question the killing. She reached over for her pink semi-transparent umbrella and clicked the hidden button. A dangerously sharp blade slipped out of the end of the umbrella and another click of the button retracted it. Neo loved her weapon and designed it to be inconspicuous so it could be taken everywhere. She twirled the umbrella for a moment and scanned the area. A problem had arose she did not expect.

 _Where are all the Grimm?_

Neo was a lot further out than she should have needed to be. True, she avoided some of the larger slow moving Grimm, today was supposed to be an easy one sided beat down to relieve stress not be a challenge, but she should have seen at least a couple of Beowolves. This was unusual. It could have been possible a hunter had been in the area earlier and wiped them out, but she should have heard some rumors about that. She liked to keep on top of their movements, so she could avoid them on her days off.

 _Weird._ Curiosity slowly replaced irritation and she looked around again. A river was off in the distance, along with a large hill on the other side. That would probably be the best location to scout the area without going too far. She made the decision to turn back if she still couldn't locate any Grimm after that. She jumped off the branch and landed daintily on the ground. There wasn't even a sound. She walked toward the river and stopped on the shore. She didn't really want to get wet and looked for a bridge. There were several rocks to her right and she was able to effortless jump across them. Aura was quite handy and made even the most annoying physical exertions easy. She landed on the far side and checked her boots, before walking up the hill. She was bored, there was doubt about that, but she had calmed down, even without having massacred anything. Suddenly, a voice yelled out in fear and she stopped to listen.

"I'm going to die!"

 _Heh, sounds like a boy. I bet he tried to be brave and find a Grimm. This should be good._ Neo ascended quickly and looked down at the far side of the hill. She expected to see a poor boy get torn apart by Grimm. What she saw was about half of what she expected. A spiky blacked hair boy in a torn white shirt and black pants leaned up against a tree. A look of fear was plastered on his face as he kept glancing all around him. He was surrounded by a mass of Grimm, their numbers great enough that even Neo was surprised. There were dozens of Beowolves, easily twenty Ursai, and countless Boarbatusks. This explained why she hadn't been able to find any Grimm closer to the city.

"Why are you monsters following me?!" the boy yelled. "Stay back!" Neo actually noticed the Grimm were keeping easily a thirty foot distance away from the boy, minimum.

 _Why aren't they attacking?_ Neo thought and watched the unusual scene below her. Grimm were mindless and as soon as they saw a person, they would attack. Even if a bunch of other Grimm had been killed, they would keep pursuing. _Obviously the boy's loud voice and negative emotions attracted them, but that doesn't explain why they are keeping a distance._ Her brow furrowed slightly when she saw some of the Grimm began to leave and wander deeper into the forest. _What…?_ Neo had never seen or even heard Grimm act like this. They either lost interest in the boy, or they decided attacking him was not worth the effort. Neither option seemed likely, and now Neo was no longer the least bit irritated. Curiosity had completely taken her over.

The boy had gone silent and changed his stance to one about to fight to the death. He raised his fists and separated his feet. It looked like the boy was at least used to street fighting, but that would be useless against the Grimm. More of the Grimm seemed to be disappearing now that the boy wasn't shouting as much anymore. Neo sat down on a rock and watched to see how everything played out. The mob of Grimm was now less than half of what it had been with she arrived. The boy appeared to notice this too. Relief was evident on his face. Without all the negative emotions, Grimm would be less attracted to him, but that still did not explain why the Grimm were not attacking. The boy took a couple steps forward toward the remaining Grimm and Neo's mouth fell open at their response.

The Grimm were backing away from him.

 _Am I hallucinating?_ Neo thought to herself in disbelief. At first it seemed like the Grimm were monitoring the boy, even if that made no sense, now it looked like they didn't want to be near him. _Maybe he has some kind of Semblance that keeps them back, but then why would he be so terrified of them?_ She frowned as she watched the boy continue to cautiously step forward, which made the Grimm retreat further back. Her eyes widened. _Could the Grimm… be afraid? That's impossible._ Whatever she had hoped to learn was nothing compared to this. Now she had another question. _Why would they be afraid?_ The boy took another step forward.

"Listen," he told them. "I don't know what you are, but I don't want any trouble." Neo rolled her eyes, but she focused on one thing the boy said.

 _What person doesn't know what Grimm are?_ The Grimm kept disappearing further into the forest, away from the boy. Eventually, the entire mob disappeared and the boy fell backwards onto the group in relief. Neo waited a few minutes to make sure the Grimm were all gone before standing up. This mystery wasn't going to solve itself and the boy didn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, so she decided she might as well check it out herself. She walked down the hill when the boy finally noticed her. He raised his head and gaped at her, maybe because of her vibrant appearance. _Or he finds me attractive. I'll flirt with him a bit to lower his guard._ She smiled kindly and waved at him. The boy sprang to his feet and a look of horror was on his face. Neo's smile flickered. She wasn't used to people who didn't know her to look like that.

"Behind you!" the boy yelled suddenly and Neo recognized her mistake. She turned around and saw two large snake heads almost upon her. The heads themselves were as big as an adult male. One was white and one was black, but both had red markings on top and blood red eyes. Their bodies connected in the middle rather than having tails. The area connecting them was slightly checkered before turning either white or black. The open mouths had a large number of razor sharp fangs. It was a King Taijitu, one of the largest Grimm in the area. Neo instantly determined her situation. She had been so preoccupied watching the unusual behavior of the Grimm against the boy, she hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings. A King Taijitu may have been large, but they traveled almost silently before they attacked. A professional doesn't lose their cool though and she smiled as the fangs approached her. The King Taijitu's black head's fangs made contact with her.

Neo shattered into thousands of small glass like pieces.

The King Taijitu stopped and looked around. It expected to bite into flesh, not glass. The pieces rained down onto the ground around it and disappeared. This illusion was the power of Neo's Semblance. She could create perfect moving replicas of whatever she wished to project, and they were physical enough to be shattered on impact. She had moved to the side and was in the process of pulling her hidden sword out of her umbrella, when both heads of the King Taijitu stopped and turned away from her. The boy had closed the distance between them. He was only moving as fast as a normal person, so he must have started running the second after he shouted a warning.

The expression on the boy's face was a combination of fear and determination. It was obvious to Neo he was afraid of the King Taijitu, most people would be, but was trying to help her, which was stupid in her opinion. She could take care of herself, but the boy couldn't have known that. Neo was more interested in the reaction of the Grimm over the boy's stupidity. As the boy neared, it began to coil backwards. This time, Neo was sure. _It's afraid!_ There was no doubt in her mind. She watched in awe as the King Taijitu began to retreat from the boy, but the sudden change in direction, which the Grimm was obviously not used to turning around and running away, stalled it when it was blocked by several thick trees.

"Run!" the boy called out to Neo as he closed in on the Grimm. He made a fist with his right hand. "I'll hold it off!" Neo had to resist laughing. She couldn't feel any Aura emitting from the boy and there was no way a physical attack at that speed would do any damage. Besides the weird reaction from the Grimm, Neo was sure the boy was about to die. The King Taijitu began to disappear into the trees when the boy managed to grab the checkered area in the middle of it. With the sound of breaking glass, similar to her illusions, the Grimm disappeared.

Neo blinked.

There was no body, no noticeable source of energy used, or even the black smoke that symbolized the Grimm's death. It was just gone.

The boy had an expression of surprise on his face, but it was nothing compared to Neo's. She was staring at him in awe and mouth open, barely away of another couple small Grimm further back in the forest, but they turned and ran away. After that display, she finally began to have an idea why the Grimm did not attack. This boy had the power to instantly destroy Grimm. Since Grimm were not capable of higher thought, it must be a fear on an instinctive level. The reason they swarmed around him originally was probably because of the noise and negative emotions he gave off. Then they realized his power and there was confusion on what they should do, attack or flee. One question was answered, but now she had another one.

 _If he has the power to slay Grimm effortlessly, why was he so scared?_ The boy seemed to calm down and turned to her. His face was sweaty and slightly dirty, but otherwise looked unharmed.

"Are you okay?" the boy asked her. Neo quickly made her face impassive and then smiled. She gave him a short nod. "That's good." He sighed. "I start the day fighting a magician and then wake up in the middle of a forest surrounded by monsters. What are those things?" Neo frowned and pulled out her Scroll and typed a short message. She held her Scroll up for the boy to read.

' _Do you seriously not know what Grimm are?_ '

"Grimm?" Neo had to resist smacking her forehead with her hand. She kept up her facial expression disguise as mildly curious and continued to type. She might as well get a little bit of information from him. By magician, he must have meant someone who can use dust magic. She was a little curious he didn't ask her why she was typing instead of talking but, unless he asked, she wasn't going to bring it up.

' _Interesting, where are you from then?'_

"I'm from Academy City."

' _Where is that? Which Kingdom?'_

"Kingdom?" the boy replied confused. "It's really famous around the world, but it's in the country of Japan." Neo was equally as confused, but her brain processed the information. "Oh," the boy continued. "I never introduced myself. My name is Touma Kamijou. I'm glad you speak… well type… a language I understand. My teacher really pounded English into my head during class." He reached out a hand.

 _English?_ Neo thought to herself. She was only typing in the common language. This boy either came from an area far outside of the four kingdoms, were Grimm did not roam, or he came from somewhere even further. She started typing. _'You can call me Neo.'_ Then she reached out a hand and shook his. The sound of breaking glass went off again and Neo's eyes went wide.

She yanked her hand out of his and pulled out the sword hidden in her umbrella.

"Neo?" Touma asked confused and frightened, when the tip of the sword was pressed up against his throat. "What are you doing?"

Neo was panting heavily. What happened to her was completely unexplainable. _My Aura disappeared completely with a single touch._ Without her Aura, all her strength and power vanished. She had become as weak as a normal person. Because she had her Aura for most of her life, it was like she had become helpless. It frightened her. She was someone who could waltz into a building full of armed guards and wipe them all out without a second though, yet this boy just terrified her to her core. Losing Aura was also a weird situation on a technical aspect too. Aura exhaustion, when a person used their Aura up, could kill Hunters. This usually occurred when the person got hit to many times from an enemy and their Aura could not keep up healing them. So when her Aura disappeared instantly and she didn't die, confusion took over.

Her arm holding her blade never wavered as she processed this information, and the boy didn't move either, not wanting to have his throat cut opened. Now that she was in close proximity to the boy, she noticed something else. The boy did not have an Aura. All living things, even animals, with a soul had Aura. Grimm did not have souls and thus did no possess Aura. Because this boy did not have an Aura, Neo mulled over the possibilities. _Could he be a type of Grimm? That seems unlikely. Atlas has been doing a lot of research with Aura, so he might be an experiment gone wrong. Or, there is the possibility of where he came from… guess I have to ask._ She typed on her Scroll one handed, because she refused to remove the sword from a potential threat.

' _What are you?'_

"Huh?" Touma replied confused. "I'm just a normal-…" He stopped when Neo applied a tiny bit of pressure to his neck.

' _A normal person could not make Grimm or Aura disappear like that.'_

"I assume those monsters are called Grimm?" the boy asked and Neo nodded. "I have no idea what Aura is, but it must have been affected when we shook hands?" She nodded again. "Okay, well that is probably because of my Imagine Breaker." Neo tilted her head in confusion and he continued. "My right hand can negate anything supernatural; magic, abilities, and even God's miracles. The downside is it also negates my luck, so I'm always misfortunate. Example, waking up in the middle of a forest surrounded by monsters."

Neo didn't say anything. The sheer absurdity of his explanation threw her for a loop. She had never heard of anything like that. A power that could negate supernatural things was an insane concept. Grimm definitely weren't natural in a sense. They disappeared on death and how they were born was unknown. There was no way to test his words about 'God's miracles,' but she could test using dust against him, though she didn't have any at the moment. Still, the idea of this power existing was mindboggling, and that was not even counting the fact he said it was tied _only_ to his right hand. To test this, she moved cautiously, keeping the sword against his neck, and touched his left arm. Nothing happened and she frowned.

"See," Touma continued when she didn't respond. "If I negated something when we shook hands, I'm sorry." Neo looked into his eyes and did not see a single shred of malicious intent. She was pretty good at reading people, but this boy appeared way too easy to read. He was either stupidly pure or very good at lying. She typed a question on her Scroll and held it up.

' _Why did you help me?'_

"Why?" Touma looked confused. "Why wouldn't I help someone? You were being attacked by a giant two-headed snake. I didn't know my hand would work, but I hoped it would since that creature didn't seem natural." He sighed in relief when Neo finally lower and sheathed her sword,

Without warning, Neo burst out laughing and he jumped. She finally understood him. Even if she couldn't understand his power, his personality was obvious. _He's an idiot trying to be a hero!_ She calmed down and smiled at him, which made him nervous as his face paled slightly. She looked at him curiously before typing on her Scroll.

' _Sorry about that. These are dangerous times and what you did was unexpected. Thank you for the help against the Grimm.'_ A few questions still needed to be answered and being nice would be sure to get him to answer.

"It was not a problem," Touma replied dismissively. Neo wasn't surprise he didn't ask for anything. An idiot trying to be a hero never did. If he had asked her for something, she would know he was selfish.

' _Mr. Kamijou, something you said earlier was kind of unusual, but it hinted at your predicament. This question will be strange, but humor me.'_ Touma nodded. ' _What is the name of your planet?'_

"Earth," Touma replied and scratched his head in confusion, but that answered Neo's question.

 _I hate to tell you this, but the planet you are currently on is called Remnant._ The boy's eyes widened in shock. Neo wasn't sure what to expect from him, but her money had been on him fainting. Instead, he fell to his hands and knees and started muttering to himself.

"I'm trapped in another world again? What did I do to deserve this? Didn't the universe mock me enough already? Did I anger another magic god?" Neo raised an eyebrow at this. "Wait, Accelerator and Last Order were with me when the light engulfed us. They might be trapped here! Crap, this is bad! Accelerator can handle himself, but Last Order won't be able to face these monsters." He stood up and turned to Neo. "Can you point me to civilization?" Neo nodded and then typed on her Scroll.

' _I was planning to head back to the city, so showing you the way won't be a problem.'_ She typed again. ' _Though, we should keep a low profile. They are rather suspicious of outsiders and you don't possess an Aura. That might be because of your hand.'_

"Sounds okay," Touma agreed. "If this world is inhabited by monsters… Grimm, right?" Neo nodded. "I wouldn't be surprised people would be suspicious. Any idea on who I can talk to about my predicament and how to locate my friends?"

' _Yes. I have a friend.'_ She struggled on the last word, but decided that would be the best option to put the boy at ease. She really wanted to say stupid, annoying boss. _'He's a little unusual in his tastes, but he knows a lot of people. He could keep an ear out for your friends and might have an idea how to get you home.'_

"Thank you so much, Neo," Touma told her graciously. "If there is anything I can do to repay you, please let me know."

' _I can think of a few ways.'_ Neo licked her lips and winked at him when he read her words. His faced turned bright red and he looked away from her. _He's an idiot and a hero wannabe, but he's still a teenage boy. I'm going to mess with him so much._ She laughed and typed another message. _'I'm just teasing.'_ Touma raised an eyebrow and then chuckled.

"I should be used to that," he told her. "My friends back home tease me all the time." Neo laughed again and opened her umbrella. Throwing it over her shoulder, so she was shaded from the sun, she started leading them back to town. "Oh Neo, can I ask you something?" She waved her hand indicating permission. "How old are you?" Neo looked back at him and smirked devilishly.

' _How old do you think I am?'_ She laughed internally as his face paled. He should have known you never ask a lady that question and she was going to make him squirm. She kept her eyes focused on him as he stuttered and tried to come up with an answer. Of course, she also paid attention to her surroundings. A Grim was not going to sneak up on her again.

"Eighteen?" he finally guessed.

' _That will do.'_ She smiled when Touma looked relieved. Neo had always been a little sensitive about her height. Even Touma, who wasn't that tall, was still bigger than her. Too many people believed her to be a child and treated her as such. Of course, they soon regretted their action and either feared her or feared nothing ever again when they were found six feet under. _'Though, why don't you tell me how you came up with that answer?'_ She got another entertaining show when his face turned red and he turned away from her. ' _Is it my height? Trust me, I have heard all the jokes.'_

"That's not it," Touma admitted. "I know enough people to not be fooled by that. It's well… the way you hold yourself and… your figure…" His words got softer and he started mumbling. Neo raised an eyebrow and looked down at her clothes. While they weren't revealing, they were tight enough to show off her curves. Clothes that were too loose were a liability in battle. Neo also was endowed with respectable assets and she grinned at his implications. She shook her butt slightly more when she walked and glanced over her shoulder. The boy was trying not to look at her and his ears were burning.

' _You really know how to add on the charm.'_ Her words were greeted by more sputtering. _'Relax. I was fine with your answer. We should be able to see the city in about thirty minutes at this pace.'_

"Again, thanks for everything Neo." She moved her hand not holding her umbrella to dismiss his thanks.

 _If he only knew,_ she thought. Neo had several reasons for helping Touma. The first was her boss would love to meet him. Not because of the boy's personality, but because of his hand. A power that could frighten Grimm away and negate unlocked Auras could be an extremely valuable asset in future endeavors. Her boss would probably have a lot more ideas on how to maximize his use. The second and third reasons were more personal. The second reason was delivering the boy to her boss would guarantee her a raise. She could always threaten to take the boy away if she didn't get what she wanted. It's not like anyone could stop her. Well, one woman could, but Neo was terrified of her for good reason. The third reason was entertainment.

Neo planned to tease that boy mercilessly. His reactions were so adorable.

* * *

"Well that was a good morning exercise," Peter said with a chuckle as he gazed upon the cages. Two of the three were closed and sealed with a Beowolf and Boarbatusk. "The area was a little light on Grimm, but that makes things easier. Hope the others are having fun. I would hate to take all the glory when my students are growing up so fast into fine Hunters." He purposely left the last cage for Team JNPR. He turned around when he heard something rustle in the distance. "Sounds like purposely making two trips allowed the younglings to return in time. Excellent." He then heard a female yell loudly.

"Taste the hammer!" Peter recognized Nora's energetically loud voice. A second later, a Beowolf flew over a tree and landed a few feet away from Peter. "Nice one, Miss Valkyrie." Peter grabbed the dazed Grimm and threw it into the cage. He then reached up and slammed the door closed before it could get up. He heard several footsteps rushing through the brush and he turned to greet his students. "I'm glad you all could… what happened?" He immediately noticed Jaune carrying a skinny white haired boy.

"We found this boy facing off against a horde of Grimm," Jaune explained quickly. "We aren't sure how, but he can fight Grimm without having his Aura unlocked. However, he collapsed shortly after we arrived. We need to get him medical attention."

"Quickly then," Peter agreed and turned around. "Explain on the way." He, Jaune, and Nora took off running. "What do you mean he can fight Grimm without an Aura? Did he have a weapon?"

"No," Nora explained. "He could send Ursai flying with a single touch and Beowolves would break bones just coming into contact with him. When he wakes up, I'm going to get him to teach me how to do that."

"He didn't seem to take any damage from their attacks either," Jaune added. "But he collapsed in pain."

"I would say his Aura has been used up, but I can tell he still has it." Peter frowned. "Where are Mr. Ren and Miss Nikos?"

"This guy was looking for a young girl," Jaune explained. "Pyrrha and Ren are our best trackers, so they are looking for signs of her while we get this guy medical attention."

"This is indeed serious," Peter agreed. "Do you have a picture of the girl?" Jaune showed him the photo on the boy's device. "Okay, you two know where the medical center is. I'm going to help with the search."

"Our teammates know to return if they don't find any signs of her," Jaune said before Peter turned around.

"Excellent plan Mr. Arc," Peter told him and then rushed off back to the forest.

"This is why you were made the leader," Nora told him. "Always planning three steps ahead."

"I only used common sense," Jaune told her, but he felt his ears burn slightly at the praise. They took off as fast as they could, ignored a couple questions from other students, before finally making it to the medical center. The boy was taken away immediately, but one nurse wrote down as much information as she could from Jaune and Nora. After that, they were free to go. They didn't waste any time and rushed back out of Beacon to meet the rest of their team at the entrance to the forest. The three cages were still there and Jaune heard the Grimm scratching at the walls. He sat down on a stump and waited, his hands clutched nervously together. _Waiting is horrible to find out news. Wish Ruby was with us. With her speed, she could have scouted out the entire half of the forest._ Time passed and it was a little over an hour since they split up. Nora kept pacing back and forth anxiously. "Nora," Jaune finally said. "Our friends will be fine."

"It's not them I'm worried about," Nora replied instantly. "It's the girl they are looking for. Imagine how scared she must be. Trapped in the middle of nowhere surrounded by Grimm. If she's alive, Pyrrha and Ren will definitely find her. Ren is amazing in hide and seek. I have never once been able to hide from him. It's how he got his title of Master Seeker Ren and he has never failed. With Pyrrha's skills backing him up, even if a wall of Grimm stood in their ways, they would be fine. But what would happen if they find her and bring her back. They could feel like a family and then feelings would well up within them for each other. If Ren and Pyrrha start dating, where would that leave us? Would Ren still make me pancakes and would Pyrrha keep helping you? It would destroy the composition of our team and we would start falling behind the others and slowly get worse until we are all kicked out and…" Her face was growing paler with each word, so Jaune cut her off.

"Breath, Nora." Nora stopped talking and took a deep breath. "If the girl is out there, they will find them. When they return, everything will be exactly the same except we will also have reunited two people. You can stop being so nervous."

"I'm not nervous."

"There's a trail of dirt where you have been pacing."

"Oh. Wasn't that there already?" Jaune shook his head. Nora swung her hammer in a circle and then looked more cheerful. "I just remembered. Ren and I have the secret Sloth Call we use to locate each other."

"Sloth Call? Do sloths even have a call?"

"Of course they do Jaune-Jaune," Nora exclaimed with a roll of her eyes. "This is a secret call and I normally wouldn't share it, but you are our Fearless Leader, so you have earned the right to hear this." She took a deep breath and then called out loudly. "Buuurahhh!" She waited about ten seconds. "Buuurahhh!"

"I…I'm not sure that's the sound a sloth makes," Jaune admitted after a moment.

"That's what I told her." Jaune and Nora instantly turned and saw Ren and Pyrrha exiting the forest. "We need to take her to a zoo and find out for sure," Ren continued. Nora charged forward and gave him a huge hug that nearly crushed his ribs. Jaune glanced around and didn't see a girl with them. His eyes fell on Pyrrha's disappointed expression.

"Were there… any signs?" Jaune asked Pyrrha slowly. He couldn't bring himself to say anything specific. She shook her head.

"No," Pyrrha told him and Jaune felt slightly better. If there was no sign of blood, there was a good possibility the girl might be okay. "We couldn't find any signs of another person in the area besides us, so we backtracked the boy's steps." She frowned and cross her arms. "This is when it gets strange. We found a spot where the boy had come from, but…"

"His tracks stopped there," Ren explained. "It was almost like he started off there. There were no other tracks, his or anyone else's."

"He could have come down from a Bullhead or something," Pyrrha added reasonably.

"He could throw an Ursa Major over a mile!" Nora pointed out. "Maybe he can fly too. He could be a superhero after all."

"We don't know anything about him," Jaune said to humor Nora. "So he might be able to fly." Nora beamed at him and Ren shook his head.

"We looked around the surrounding area too," Pyrrha continued. "In case it was a Bullhead and the girl landed somewhere else, but there was nothing, except a couple Grimm and we took them down." She looked down at the ground. "I'm really sorry we couldn't find any clues."

"Don't beat yourself up," Jaune said to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "You did everything you could. You aren't omnipotent." He looked over at Ren. "You both did a good job." Ren nodded in acknowledgement.

"Thanks Jaune," Pyrrha said, slightly more cheerfully.

"Look Ren," Nora whispered excitedly. "Jaune's now cheering up Pyrrha. Their rolls are reversing. Maybe Pyrrha is going to become the team leader and Jaune is going to be invincible in battle."

"Shush," Ren whispered back and put his hand over her mouth.

"Mr. Arc is correct," a voice said from behind them and everyone jumped. They did not see the man approach. He was middle-aged with tousled silver hair and thin brown eyes. He had a light complexion and sharp facial features. A pair of shaded glass spectacles adorned his face and a small, purple, cross-shaped pin was on the cowl around his neck. His outfit mainly consisted of an unzipped black suit over a buttoned vest and green shirt. He also wore black trouser shoes and long, dark-green pants.

"Professor Ozpin," all four of the teens said in surprise. Ozpin stood before them drinking coffee from a mug in one hand while holding a cane in the other. He was the headmaster of Beacon Academy.

"What are you doing here sir?" Pyrrha asked politely.

"I heard from our medical staff you four were responsible for our unconscious guest," Ozpin said and sipped his coffee. "I wanted to talk to you while we made our way back to Beacon."

"Of course professor," Ren said. The four of them followed Ozpin back.

"Could you tell me what transpired since you entered the forest?" Ozpin asked. Jaune explained how the Grimm in the area disappeared and they had to go further into the forest before Nora spotted a flying Ursa. Deciding they should investigate in case whatever threw the Grimm would be a danger to Beacon, they traveled in the direction the Ursa came from. That is where they discovered the boy. They observed him for a moment and saw him rip the arm off an Ursa, break the bones of Beowolves, and with a single touch send Grimm flying. However, he collapsed and they had to step in. After killing the Grimm, the boy showed them the picture and fell unconscious. They had split up to get the boy help and look for the girl. Pyrrha then explained again what happened on her end. Ozpin listened to her story and nodded. He had been quiet and patiently let them finish.

"What do you think?" Pyrrha asked him.

"Very interesting," Ozpin mumbled. "A boy, without Aura unlocked, being able to perform the acts you described." He sipped his coffee. "Once he wakes up, I would like to speak with him for sure. As for his companion," he turned to each of them in turn. "You could find no signs of her and yet he was looking for her in that area. What do you think could be the reason for that?"

"She might be in a different area," Pyrrha answered. "It was possible they escaped an inflight Bullhead and she landed somewhere outside our range."

"Interesting theory," Ozpin said. "What about the rest of you?"

"There is a chance the girl could have some unusual power like him," Ren suggested. "It might make her untrackable."

"If that turns out to be the case," Ozpin commented. "Then neither we nor the Grimm would be able to catch her and she would be safe for now." He glanced over at Nora. "Miss Valkyrie, I'm sure you want to say something." He saw her bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"They are obviously superheroes here to help us save the world!" Nora nearly shouted. "They can fly and that's why we can't find her. The guy we found was probably injured after fighting a legendary Grimm, otherwise he would have destroyed the weaker ones."

"Unusual theory," Ozpin acknowledged and the corners of his mouth twitched. "What about you Mr. Arc? I'm sure you can think of a different explanation." His eyes fell on Jaune, who frowned.

"Well," he said slowly. "If the other theories are wrong, maybe the girl never actually was here." His teammates frowned, but Ozpin motioned for him to continue. "I was thinking, we don't know how he got here right? Maybe there was an accident and he woke up in the forest. The girl might have been with him before he arrived in the forest and he just assumed she was with him. He only said, 'find this girl.' He never said she was here."

"A well-thought out theory," Ozpin complimented. "We have little to go on, so we must entertain all ideas." He sipped his coffee. "For now, I feel like you four have done enough for your detention. Someone will stop by to collect the Grimm you and Peter collected. I'm sure Peter will be too busy scouring the forest for the girl today to remember them anyways. I will let you know when the boy wakes up. He will most likely want to thank you all for helping him." He was also planning to contact a few of his acquaintances in and outside Vale to see if any of them found the girl. Her picture was on the boy's device and Ozpin was planning to pass it on. He had also used the opportunity to have his students think like hunters. After all, sometimes the truth isn't obvious at first glance.

"Thanks professor," Jaune said gratefully. The four of them watched Ozpin walk off before Jaune turned to his team. "What do you want to do? I'm sure Team RWBY is in the middle of their trip into Vale and going off to meet them probably would use up of the rest of day." He didn't feel like doing anything, but he wanted to know what his team thought.

"I'm hungry," Nora volunteered. "I vote we eat. Right Ren?"

"I could stomach something," Ren agreed, much to Nora's delight.

"I don't have much of an appetite," Jaune muttered. The girl reminded him of his sisters. He had seven of them and four were younger than he was. The thought of one of his sisters being trapped in a forest of Grimm made him sick. "Think I'll start working on that history essay for Oobleck's class. It's due Monday and Ruby wants to do something tomorrow."

"I'll go with-…," Pyrrha started to say to him, but the rumble of her stomach interrupted her. She blushed and stopped talking.

"Looks like someone agrees with us," Nora said and elbowed Pyrrha in the side.

"We can bring Jaune back something," Ren whispered. "I think he wants to be alone for a little bit."

"Okay," Pyrrha relented and she watched Jaune head back to their dorm. _If something is wrong, he can talk to me about it._ "When we get back, I'll see if he needs any help on the essay. I only have my conclusion left." Ren and Nora pattered her on the back and the three of them headed for the dining hall.

* * *

"What's this place?" Touma asked Neo.

' _Restaurant, where my friend hangs out.'_

He had adapted quickly to reading Neo's scroll when she flashed her answers to him. It actually surprised her. He was pretty naïve, trusting her so quickly, but there was more to him. He seemed a lot more comfortable in the city and didn't draw attention to himself. Of course, being in her presence caused people to overlook him as they took in her appearance. She could still walk around in most of Vale, since it was her boss that was in trouble, not her. The people who knew her true personality either worked for her or died. It was actually kind of nice not to be recognized by a younger boy who wasn't lusting after her. She noticed Touma seemed to be relatively toned, as if he exercised regularly. Also, while he kept looking around at everything in the city, he didn't seem to surprise. _Was he used to something… more?_ Determined to see his embarrassed expression, she waited until several guys were looking at her and grabbed his left arm.

She laughed internally at this expression. His face was burning and he could look her in the eyes. He had tried to pull his arm away from her, but she clamped it tightly. After muttering incoherently for a minute, he finally asked her what she was doing. Her response was it prevented other people from hitting on her since they were in a hurry. Touma was surprisingly adaptable and walked with her effortlessly. His only question was about a couple Faunus. Turns out, he hadn't seen the people with real animal parts before, only fake accessories. The rest of the trip progressed with them connected until they reached the old building. It was kind of rundown, but there was a flashing open sign. Neo pushed the door open and gestured Touma in after her. There was one person in the corner reading a newspaper, but otherwise was empty except for one man behind a counter in front of the kitchen. He didn't look up and flipped a page in a magazine.

"Sit anywhere," he spoke in a bored voice. "I'll be with you in a…. Miss Neo!" He had looked up and his faced paled. Neo could feel the boy's eye on the man and she wanted to stop any suspicion from forming. She smiled at him and gestured wordlessly to the back door. Then she pointed to Touma, before she brought a finger up to her neck and slid it across. The message was clear.

 _Say anything to him and die._

"He's in the back," the man told her respectfully and his eyes fell on Touma. Neo turned to him too and smiled before gesturing for him to follow. Touma had frowned, but Neo was confident she could pass off the nervousness from an employee simply as her being a strict boss. They walked down a hallway, passed several doors muffling the sounds of men arguing and laughing, until they reached the last one. Neo thought about knocking and grinned. Instead, she pushed the door open and walked inside.

"Doesn't anyone know how to knock around here?!" a male voice demanded and a fancy leather chair spun around. The man had slanted, dark-green eyes and bright, long, orange hair, with long bangs covering his right eye. Black eyeliner traced his visible left eye. He was wearing a red-lined white suit with long black pants and black shoes. His accessories included a small gray scarf, black gloves with buckled sleeves, and a black bowler hat with a small feather tucked into its red band. "Neo? I didn't expect you back today. Terribly sorry about our earlier disagreement. I have been thinking about it and… who's your friend?"

Neo looked over at Touma for a moment, as if she was in thought. She didn't have to use her scroll with her boss, he was perfectly able to read her sign language. However, a devious thought entered her mind. She typed on her scroll and held it up for both guys to see.

' _He's my new boyfriend.'_ She got the desired result.

"Not again," her boss sighed and placed his hand against his forehead. He didn't fall for her jokes nearly as much, but she got the intended reaction from Touma.

"W-what?!" he spluttered. "Neo… we just met. This is moving way too fast. We barely know each other!"

"She's messing with you kid," the man told him. Touma closed his mouth and saw him gesture to Neo. She was laughing as she sat down in a comfy chair, before she finally calmed down and winked at Touma. "You can have a seat too." Touma sat down in the only other chair. "I take it Neo brought you here for a reason?"

"Yes sir," Touma confirmed.

"A kid with manners?" The man sounded surprised. "I like you already. I have been dealing with a lot of very rude people lately. One should always strive to be a gentleman, wouldn't you agree?" Touma nodded. "Fantastic. I assume you want to join our happy family then? There will be a few physical tests to make sure you are up to it. I'm getting tired of grabbing random people who can't last. Though, since Neo personally selected you, I doubt there will be a problem."

"I'm flattered sir," Touma responded. "But I'm not really into that." Neo frowned while the man only looked confused.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it," Touma said quickly. "I'm just not into guys." The silence lengthened as everyone became speechless. Finally, someone snickered. Touma and the man turned toward Neo, who could not hold it in any longer. She suddenly burst out laughing and tears were coming out of her eyes. The man snapped to his senses and turned back to Touma.

"Are you implying that I'm gay?" the man asked. "What on Remnant gave you that idea?!"

"I don't judge people on that," Touma explained, his face pale. "There's nothing wrong with it. But if you aren't… sorry. I jumped to conclusions based on your words, Neo saying you had unusual tastes, and your outfit…." He gestured with his hand to the eyeliner, scarf, and hat.

"I'll let you know this outfit is at the height of fashion," the man lectured Touma angrily. Neo finally looked up and shook her head back and forth, but stopped when he glared at her. "Kids these days," the man muttered while he rubbed his temples. "Don't understand fashion at all." He sighed and looked up. "Well then kid, why don't you tell me what you need?"

"It's kind of a long story-…," Touma began when he stopped as his stomach started rumbling. Neo chuckled and the man looked annoyed. He glanced over at Neo, who grew serious for a second. She nodded toward him and gestured with her hand out the back door. Roman turned to the boy and the clicked the intercom on his desk

"Bring our guest some food," he said and then looked at Touma. "I hope you don't mind pasta."

"Anything is fine," Touma told him gratefully.

"Give Neo and me a moment to discuss your predicament privately," the man continued. He stood up and motioned for her to follow him. They entered the back room of his office and he turned toward her. "Why on earth did you bring that boy here? This better not be to satisfy some fantasy of yours or to get back at me." Neo smiled and the man knew she was still thinking of the misunderstanding that happened a moment ago. Her expression then turned serious as she entered work mode.

 _How dare he think I would risk our operation for a fling?_ Free of using her scroll, Neo began to wordlessly mime everything that happened when she met the boy. She started with Touma being surrounded by Grimm who would not attack and eventually left. Her story was followed by what happened to the King Taijitu. It actually retreated from the boy and disappeared with a simple touch. Then Neo repeated the question and answer session they shared. Her boss's expression started off angry, then curious, and finally beamed at her with admiration. Neo had a smug look on her face when she finished and he spoke at last.

"Let me see if I have this right," he said. "You found a boy who, without any Aura or Semblance, has the power to destroy Grimm with a single touch. In fact, his power is so dangerous to them, the beasts are actually afraid of him. Then this ability can also remove an individual's Aura with contact. To top that off, he isn't from this world and has no idea how things work around here and even what Grimm are." He grinned. "From what you said and from what I observed, this boy is clueless and stupidly naïve. Right now, his first priority is looking for his friends." Neo nodded. "Did I miss anything important?" Neo thought about it and decided not to mention she enjoyed messing with him. That was her own entertainment and not to be shared. She shook her head. "Congratulations Neo, once I confirm his power is real, you will have your raise." He walked back into his office and she followed. The boy had just started eating and looked up when they entered.

"Did Neo explain my situation?" Touma asked and the man nodded. "Do you think you can help?" Touma's eyes suddenly widened. "Sorry, I have been really rude. My name is Touma Kamijou."

"Ah," the man said. "I should have introduced myself first. My deepest apologies. My name is Roman Torchwick." He paused. "I'm going to be honest with you kid. If you really came here from another world, I'm not sure what we can do anytime soon. I know a couple people who would love to research this phenomenon, but it will take time. As for your friends. I can have my contacts look for them if you can provide a picture."

"I do have one," Touma said and pulled out a device similar to a Scroll. He pulled up a picture of a skinny white haired boy and a young brown haired girl. The picture was passed to Roman. "I tried calling them, but I don't get a signal. Your technology is different than in my world."

"I will ensure this gets out to my contacts," Roman promised. He sat down and watched Touma across his desk. "While this occurs, I was wondering if you would be willing to help me with a task of mine. Neo explained to me about your ability and its power to keep Grimm away."

"It didn't really keep them away," Touma admitted. "They just didn't pounce on me immediately."

"From what I heard," Roman continued with a smirk. "They would not go near you unless forced. The area you were in is always heavily populated by Grimm. Since it was your first time seeing one, I bet you yelled out and ran away in panic, correct?" Touma reluctantly nodded. "Grimm are attracted to negative emotions, like fear, and loud noises, like yelling." He laughed. "I bet you confused them greatly. They wanted to eat you, but also run away from you."

"I'm glad you thought it was funny. I was terrified."

"Relax kid. It's an expected reaction to the Grimm." Roman leaned forward. "Would you be willing to help us out while my men search for your friends? Your power could save a lot of lives when we are required to travel through Grimm infested areas."

"Of course," Touma agreed. "I would be more than happy to help out as thanks for your assistance." Neo smirked to herself. People with pure hearts and the desire to help others were so easily to manipulate and Roman wasn't done yet.

"Wonderful," Roman said and clapped his hands together. "Since you are new to our world, I will need to give you a brief overview, for your safety as well as being able to adjust to the way of life here. There is no telling how long you will be stuck here."

"Thank you."

"Think nothing of it," Roman said dismissively. "You see, Vale is controlled by a totalitarian government that oppresses its citizens. The people might have had a chance to overthrow the system, except for the government's Aura empowered enforcers, which we call Hunters…"

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **Well, this should be enough for a lot of people to see how this story is going to progress. Seriously, Roman Torchwick and Neo are two of my favorite villains in any series. Team RWBY didn't get a scene because they are being punished for Yang's terrible puns last chapter.**


	3. Secrets

**Huh, I'm kind of amazed at how popular this crossover is for only being two chapters so far. This was my first real attempt to mash two different series together in a way where one does not completely overshadow the other. My previous crossover attempt was more a light hearted attempt to have some fun. Based on the comments, a lot of people are looking to see this story continue, and I am more than happy to write it. I enjoy the direction this is heading and can't wait to see how far I can take it. Hoping everything blends together the way I envision it since there are so many different things going on with different groups of people. Now, I'm going to move to comments so we can get back to the story sooner.**

 **SilentXD7: I don't see any reason why he wouldn't be able to if all the right conditions are met. Nothing so far has indicated something happened to his hand. Guess we will have to wait and see.**

 **PocketDuelMonsters: While I do know who that is, I probably won't add people from a third series. First, it makes things more complicated. Second, there are already plenty of characters in the RWBY and TANMI universes.**

 **YCG: Yes they are different. However, Touma's hand negates all supernatural things. Therefore, I can't see why both would not be negated the same way.**

 **FireDusk: Aura is slightly different than magic. Magic in RWBY is when people use dust. Aura is their soul power. They are similar, but different basics.**

 **Dead Salvation: Roman, evil? How could someone with the most adorable sidekick ever be evil? Roman is misunderstood and does what he has to in order to survive the harsh world of Remnant. I do wish Accelerator would be doing stuff earlier, but this chapter will explain why we have to wait a little bit.**

 **shiroryuu01: That sounds pretty plausible. Maybe Roman could end up teaching in Beacon?**

 **Panzer4life: Depends on how magic vectors in Remnant work. While the fight does sound fun, there were indications Accelerator has to make adjustments for magic. With powerful spells, like a maiden could use, there might be some weird calculations involved.**

 **Guest: 1) I'm still updating it. Sometimes, I just want to write certain things over others. I write what I enjoy writing or else I start to dislike doing it. 2) While I like Star Wars, I'm not too interested in writing in the universe.**

 **Guest: Othinus gave Touma mental fortitude. I don't think Touma is going to stop trusting and seeing the good in people. If/When Touma realizes Roman is manipulating him, he will most likely do what he can to fix his mistake and turn Roman and Neo good.**

 **TheLastSterling: Thor and Nora team up? That would be great, but the world probably isn't ready for that. Hey, Touma's teacher taught him you can't judge age based on appearance.**

 **ultron emperor: I had a couple people tell me that and I had the same response come to mind each time. Accelerator had a small handful of lines in the first chapter, and slaughtering Grimm? That was just an obvious outcome. I just write what I enjoy. If you hate what you write, you won't get anywhere.**

 **The Rupture: Information for that question will be provided this chapter.**

 **Kiri Kaitou Clover: There is no resistance to Kami-yan disease in this world.**

 **Tsun: He fixes his mistakes eventually, but he still gets used way too much. Jaune might be able to stand against Touma's fist. He was probably decently strong before his Aura was unlocked. Anyone physically trained before they replied on Aura are probably in the same boat. The sudden decrease in power might disorient them though.**

 **MarkJ: Your first question is answered in this chapter. For his clothes, people do have more than one outfit. I know in most anime/Manga they always were the same stuff except on special occasions. Pairings/romance might appear throughout, Kami-yan Disease you know, but nothing is really planned. I'll see what happens when everyone meets up. For your final question, the Grimm might eventually learn, or they won't. The things is, his hand has a lot more uses than just against them.**

 **RPGPersona: Glad to see you returning in full force. Neo and Roman are together, but not together-together. Neo is older than Touma, skilled, and very intelligent. She was able to infer a lot of information based on a short encounter. Though, as you put it, she really was not ready for today. All strong psychopathic women like to turn Touma into a toy. Maybe I could introduce some of Jaune's sisters at some point. All seven would give me a headache haha. You aren't thinking like a criminal mastermind. You want to use Touma in the obvious way. The master has a much better plan.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

"MISAKA is tired MISAKA complains as MISAKA collapses on a bench to indicate exhaustion."

"We have been walking around for a couple hours," Ruby said and sat down next to her. "I wouldn't mind a break either."

"That's actually pretty impressive for someone her age," Yang added. The girl reminded her of a young Ruby more and more. The girl was super hyper and wanted to see everything, even forgetting a couple times they were looking for her guardian.

"Weiss! MISAKA calls out! Sit next to MISAKA!" Last Order scooted over closer to Ruby so there was room on her other side. Weiss sighed, but still smiled and sat down her.

"It seems like she really has taken a liking to you, Weiss," Yang laughed. "There's a lot of _attraction_ there."

"Ugh," Weiss groaned. "Still with the electricity puns?" Yang gave her a thumbs up. _She's not wrong though, about Last Order liking me. She seems to always want to be near me._ Of course, someone of her status would attract people to her, but Last Order was a little young to know what being a Schnee meant. This didn't stop her from grabbing onto Weiss's hand most of the time and tugging Weiss after her. Weiss couldn't say she didn't like it. It felt like she had a little sister and took her time to answer Last Order's questions. _I bet this is what Winter felt like when we were kids._ "Naturally, she was attracted to my inherent grace and presence."

"Or you look like her guardian," Yang snickered.

"Who's right?" Ruby asked Last Order. "Weiss is kind of hard to get along with at first…"

"Hey!"

"…You have to get used to her."

"Weiss reminds MISAKA of her guardian MISAKA explains…"

"Hah!" Yang laughed triumphantly and Weiss scowled at her.

"But looks only apply to the hair MISAKA elaborates quickly as MISAKA waves her arms frantically." That gave Yang and Weiss a good laugh, because it reminded them of Ruby when she wanted to get their attention. "They have similar personalities."

"How so?" Ruby asked.

"Both of them act tough on the outside, but deep down only want to have friends MISAKA answers triumphantly. They probably won't admit it, but they need others to make the first move. Even if they are kind deep down, they are too shy to take initiative MISAKA finishes." The girls were quiet for a moment, and then Ruby and Yang burst out laughing.

"She has you pegged perfectly Weiss Queen!" Yang exclaimed through her laughs.

"Remember when she yelled at me several times on our very first day?" Ruby asked excitedly. "I thought she was just being mean, but she was only trying to be friends." She reached over Last Order and hugged Weiss. "We became best friends anyway, but I'm so happy to know you liked me from our first encounter!" Ruby hadn't liked Weiss at first, she seemed way too uptight. After getting to know her, Weiss was still uptight, but would constantly join in on the team's shenanigans. She had opened up eventually and was a valuable friend and partner, even if she kept making Ruby study.

"I yelled at you because you nearly blew us up," Weiss sighed and pushed Ruby off her. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about Last Order's assessment of her. Weiss had to be tough, but that was because she was raised as the daughter of a business tycoon. Showing weakness would allow other people to take advantage of you. When she first arrived at Beacon, she had hoped to see other high class people who shared similar interests. Instead, she met Ruby and Yang. She had passed Ruby off as a kid, but found out she was quite skilled and rather clever, even if she could stand to mature a little bit. Weiss admitted she did cherish their friendship, along with Yang and her partner Blake. "I suppose friendship does arise in the most unlikely places."

"We love you too, Weiss Queen," Yang told her and hugged her too. Yang had to admit, having this new girl with them was making the day amazing for her. Not only did she appreciate puns, but Ruby and Weiss liked her. Of course, Ruby liked almost everyone if they weren't a bully or a villain, but Weiss was harder to please. She criticized people constantly and it was hard for her to make friends. It was actually because of Ruby's and Yang's antics that she befriended Team JNPR. Otherwise, Weiss might have only worked with Pyrrha. _We really should take Last Order back with us. It shouldn't be too hard to convince Ruby, but Weiss is a stickler to the rules. I'm also interested in her Electricity Semblance._ "So, Last Order, you never told us your guardian's name and I would like to know if he's a rule nut like Weiss here." She ignored Weiss's glare.

"His name is Accelerator MISAKA answers. As for rules…" she hesitated for a moment. "He doesn't purposely go out and break them, but the city is kind of lax about him doing pretty much whatever he wants to MISAKA tries to explain."

"Why?" Weiss asks.

"He's really strong MISAKA elaborates and then realizes what MISAKA could be implying. He's not a bad person, just had a rough childhood because of something he couldn't control. People keep trying to test their own strength against him. Our city respects stronger individuals MISAKA adds as MISAKA tries to explain without revealing certain secrets."

"I can kind of understand that," Weiss muttered. She didn't like the secrets part though. When she was a child, a lot of groups tried attacked her family to either prove a point or capture her for leverage. Fighting back was one of the few options available and that was probably why the city did not intervene.

"We all have secrets Last Order," Yang reassured her. "Especially from boys." She winked at her.

"Yang!" Ruby cried indignantly. "Quit trying to corrupt her with whatever you were implying!"

"Ignoring Yang's immaturity," Weiss continued. "I don't think we are going to have any luck blindly searching around and we haven't found anyone else looking for her. It's probably time we alerted security about her and have them…"

"NO!"

Last Order's outburst shocked the girls.

"What's wrong?" Ruby asked confused.

"MISAKA was told if she gets separated not go to security MISAKA explains quickly as MISAKA waves her arms frantically to display the importance of her words. MISAKA is supposed to find somewhere safe and wait for him!"

"That's the exact opposite of what you should be doing!" Weiss gasped in disbelief. "What has he been teaching you?!"

"Are you in trouble?" Ruby asked nervously. "If you are, we can get you someplace safe and get help."

"MISAKA is not in trouble MISAKA says quickly as MISAKA shakes her head. Once MISAKA finds her guardian, everything will be fine. It's MISAKA's job to watch over him MISAKA states proudly." Ruby and Weiss were confused, but Yang frowned.

"Can I talk to you two for a second?" Yang asked and pulled Ruby and Weiss away from Last Order. She turned and smiled at Last Order. "I have to ask them something personal, you don't mind?"

"Nope, MISAKA replies happily. MISAKA will wait right here for you to finish your conversation."

"Great." Yang pulled the other two out of earshot.

"What was that for, Yang?" Ruby asked slightly annoyed and rubbed her arm.

"I think you were on the right track Ruby, that girl is in trouble," Yang whispered. "And keep your voice down."

"And she's trying not to get us involved beyond being friends," Weiss added. "I bet she's afraid if we know too much, we will be targets."

"Could someone be targeting her?" Ruby guessed. "I wish Blake was here. She might have a better idea on why someone would be after a little girl."

"I have an idea," Yang said and held up a finger. "It has to do with her Aura."

"You noticed too?" Weiss asked and Yang nodded. Ruby looked confused and then irritated. She didn't like being kept in the dark. "We assumed her Semblance was electricity, but her Aura has not been unlocked," Yang explained to her.

"WHA-…!?" Ruby's voice was way too loud and the other two girls covered her mouth with their hands.

"Not so loud," Weiss snapped quietly. "You really need to pay more attention to these things."

"But how could she use a Semblance without Aura?" Ruby asked.

"That's the million dollar question," Yang said. "Any ideas, Weiss?"

"Only one and I don't like it," Weiss replied bitterly. "But it would explain why she was told not to contact security." She crossed her arms and frowned. "I know Atlas has been doing research on Aura, but we can't say other cities aren't doing it either. What if an organization was trying to find a way to forcefully unlock Semblances, even without Aura? If they are doing this under the table here, then they wouldn't want Vale security involved. Her guardian is probably the person who keeps track of her. Last Order is overly energetic like Ruby, so I bet she was bored, snuck out, and then got lost."

"Those…," Yang hissed in cold fury through gritted teeth, and then her eyes turned red. Heat started to form all around her. "Experimenting on a girl…"

"It's only a theory," Weiss reminded her quickly to avoid causing a scene. "I could be wrong and I hope I am, but we should proceed cautiously. The girl is innocent and really kind. I don't want anything to happen to her."

"I think you are mistaken," Ruby suddenly spouted out.

"Why?" the other two asked.

"She said this Accelerator guy was like Weiss," Ruby explained frantically. "I don't believe someone like Weiss could be a bad person. I bet there's a rational explanation for all of this. We should definitely watch over her though."

"Thanks Ruby," Weiss told her and smiled.

"You two are getting along so well," Yang cooed and wiped a fake tear out of her eye. "I still remember when Ruby told me on our first day she blew up after your argument." She grinned. "Literally, not figuratively."

"I'm surprised you know what figuratively means," Weiss muttered.

"So as our team leader," Ruby interrupted before the two could argue. "I say Team RWBY will help this girl out. Since Blake is still not answering her Scroll, we must each take up an extra shift. The first task is, where do we take her?" There was no way she would allow a younger girl, that was so much like her they could practically be sisters, be stuck out in the city alone if there was a chance someone was after her.

"Our dorm," Yang answered immediately.

"Why?" Weiss asked. _I want to hear her reasoning, but I already knew she would want to bring the girl back with us._

"First," Yang said and raised a finger. "She would be safe there. Beacon is well protected from intruders and our teachers are all trained Hunters." She raised a second finger. "Two, we can talk to Professor Ozpin about her. I'm sure he would be interested in her power and might understand it." She raised a third finger. "Third, he could help us find her guardian if he is indeed an innocent person and not a criminal." Ruby's eyes widened at the well thought out reasoning from her sister.

"Who are you and what have you done with Yang?" Yang responded by flicking Ruby in the forehead.

"And fourth," Weiss continued with a slight smirk. "You would have someone who would laugh at your puns."

"That is just an added bonus."

"There's the Yang I know," Ruby sighed and then all three girls laughed.

"It's still good logic," Weiss admitted. "I didn't think you had it in you, Yang."

"You honor me with your praise, Princess," Yang said in an unnecessary exuberant manner and then she bowed slightly. "When you inherit your kingdom, do keep me in mind for your royal advisor."

"For the last time its heiress, not princess." Yang and Ruby laughed, but Weiss managed to stay calm, though she could not stop her lips from twitching at the thought of Yang advising anyone. "So how would we get Last Order into Beacon?" Weiss finally asked the all-important question. "Can you imagine what Professor Goodwitch would do if she caught us?" All three girls shivered.

"I'm sure if we explain the situation," Ruby suggested. "She will let us."

"We can't take that risk," Yang said with a huge grin. "She might want to contact Vale security. Let's sneak her in and talk to Ozpin. He's the only one who can override her."

"Then you better have a plan," Weiss told her. "Because I think she can detect when someone is breaking a rule. She shows up awfully fast."

"Leave that to me," Yang replied and pointed to herself with her thumb. "I have a perfect plan once we convince Last Order to come with us."

"Oh!" Ruby volunteered. "I can do it." Before either of them could reply, she bolted back over to the bench. "Hey Last Order, want to come visit our school? You could have a sleepover in our dorm room!"

"MISAKA would love to MISAKA exclaims excitedly as MISAKA can't keep from shaking in excitement! But," she suddenly looked sad. "MISAKA should be looking for her guardian, even though MISAKA has never had a sleepover with friends before."

"Walking around Vale blindly isn't working," Ruby explained. "This way, you can be someplace comfortable and safe while we find him. Our headmaster is really nice too. I'm sure he will be able to help find Accelerator. We can respect your wish for us not to contact Vale's security forces by doing this too."

"We also have cookies," Weiss added. Since Last Order resembled Ruby in so many ways, Weiss was sure she would enjoy the baked goods. "I'm sure my partner will share her stash."

"MISAKA loves cookies! Accelerator will probably be fine if MISAKA goes and hangs out with friends. That way, MISAKA will have found a safe location MISAKA reasons as MISAKA secretly plans out how to have fun without disobeying."

"I like her even more now," Yang whispered to Weiss.

"Yay!" Ruby cheered. "Sleepover with new people. We will have so much fun! We should invite Team JNPR to hang out too."

"I'm sure they will come anyways," Weiss sighed. "As long as Arc doesn't try to confess to me again, I'll accept his presence. He does not seem to be able to take a hint."

"Did you not accept this Arc's confession because you are partnered with Ruby? MISAKA asks curiously. MISAKA did not know you two were in that kind of relationship, but MISAKA believes you two go together MISAKA adds as MISAKA tries to reassure their decision." There was silence as everyone looked at her.

"EHHHH!?" Weiss and Ruby cried out.

"AHAHAHA!" Yang burst out laughing and grabbed her side.

"There's no way I would be with someone as childish as her!" Weiss screeched.

"I'm not childish!" Ruby denied indignantly. "Just because you don't like cookies, doesn't mean they are only for kids."

 _Last Order is great,_ Yang thought, as she continued to laugh. _I want to keep her. She's a riot._

"Cookies aren't the problem," Weiss snapped. "It's you eating them for every meal, making messes without cleaning them up, and constantly bothering other people when they are working. That's what makes you childish. I feel bad for whoever gets together you. They probably have to have the patience of Ren."

"Just so you know," Ruby replied and stuck her tongue out at Weiss. "The guy I like would treat me grea-…" She slammed her mouth shut, her face grew red, and then her eyes darted fearfully to Yang. She wasn't the only one. Weiss's expression turned from irritation to shock and then she too turned to look at Yang. Both of them knew how protective Yang was of her sister against boys and, judging by the fact she had stopped laughing, Yang began to process the new information.

"So," Yang said slowly. Her eyes flashed from lilac to bright red and heat began to emit from her body again. "My baby sis has a crush on someone? Why don't you tell your big sister who it is and what he did to flirt with you?"

"Nothing happened, Yang," Ruby answered, yet her face was still crimson. "And don't we have more important issues at hand anyways?"

"We still need to find a way to bring Last Order to Ozpin," Weiss added, as she tried to avoid a scene.

"If MISAKA said something wrong, MISAKA is sorry MISAKA apologizes as MISAKA attempts to defuse the situation." Yang blinked and smiled at her, her eyes turning back to their normal color.

"You didn't do anything," Yang reassured her. "It's just a little sisterly teasing."

"Ah! MISAKA knows all about that. MISAKA's sister teases relentlessly."

"That's what we do," Yang laughed and put her arm around Ruby. She leaned over and whispered into her little sister's ear. "This isn't over. Be prepared for interrogation tonight. There is no escape."

"Eeep," Ruby squeaked and covered her head with her red hood.

"Now," Yang said louder, so Weiss and Last Order could hear her. "For how to get our new friend into Beacon, I know the perfect person to help." She pulled out her Scroll and dialed a number. "Hey Coco, are you at Beacon today? Sweet, I need your help with something small…" She started walking, while dragging Ruby behind her, and chatting on the phone.

"I think I know what Yang is up to," Weiss sighed. "Well, her plan will probably work out. Somehow, they usually do. We might as well follow them." She looked over at Last Order, who got up off the bench and grabbed Weiss's hand. Weiss felt her face grow warm slightly, but she enjoyed the contact. Together, they followed the hyperactive sisters.

* * *

"Come in," Ozpin said from behind his desk when he heard a knock on the door.

The door opened and a woman entered. She was middle-aged, with very light-blonde hair tied back in a bun and a curl hanging down the right side of her face. Her eyes were bright green and she wore thin ovular glasses. Her ears had teal earrings that match the hanging pendant on her collar. The woman wore a white long-sleeved, pleated top with a wide keyhole neckline and gauntlet cuffs that flare in pleats at the wrist. A black high-waist pencil skirt with bronze buttons and black-brown stockings covered her lower body. Black boots with bronze heels and a cape, that was purple on the inside and black on the outside, completed her ensemble. The woman's name was Glynda Goodwitch and a staff member at Beacon Academy. She was known for being a stern disciplinarian, a contrast to the easy going headmaster.

"I have the report from our medical staff about our guest," Glynda announced and set down a small stack of papers in front of Ozpin.

"It was a good thing Team JNPR found him when they did," Ozpin said and his eyes started scanning the papers before him. "From their account, the boy was about to pass out in the middle of a pack of Grimm." His brow narrowed as he continued to read. "I'm surprised at this report. Very interesting."

"Interesting doesn't even begin to cover it, Ozpin," Glynda said testily. "For all purposes, that boy shouldn't have been able to move at all, let alone fight. Talking might even be impossible in his current condition. From what they found, the boy's brain seems to have suffered serious damage. It has to be an old wound because there's no damage to his head from an external blow."

"Yes," Ozpin agreed. He had read that on the report. "Yet, he was seen fighting by our students, who had no reason to lie." He flipped to the next page and continued to scan. "No signs of unlocked Aura either. The mystery deepens."

"This isn't a game, Ozpin," Glynda told him disapprovingly. "The boy should be crippled at best, yet our students saw him fight. Without his Aura being unlocked, he can't use a Semblance, which would be one of the few ways this could be explained. We did however recover his wallet." She passed over a piece of plastic with the boy's picture. "Besides some type of money I haven't seen before, there was only an ID. I was hoping the ID would provide some answers, but then it gets stranger. It's in another language, one I have yet to identify."

"I see," Ozpin muttered and sipped his coffee. He looked down at the ID and nodded. "Anything else? This report is very detailed and will take time for me to read it thoroughly."

"I feel you just don't want to read it," Glynda sighed and rubbed her forehead. "There is one other mystery. There was a choker on his neck. It was not removed because it seemed to be fused into the boy's body, however one piece could be detached easily. A little research showed it is some kind of power source, but it does not run on dust. Further investigation indicates the choker is designed to receive a certain signal, but there doesn't seem to be any strong enough for it to pick up now." Ozpin stood up, sipped his coffee, and looked out the window.

"Will we be able to heal him?" Ozpin asked.

"They said they can use dust to accelerate the healing process and believe they can repair the damaged tissue," Glynda replied. "It will be complicated, but they are confident in their ability."

"Let them know they have my permission to do anything necessary to help him," Ozpin told her without turning around. "As Hunters, our job is to help the people of Remnant, and that is not limited to dealing with Grimm." He could feel Glynda staring at him intently.

"I understand," she finally said. "Though, I wonder why you personally requested all the information. I would have ordered our staff to help him anyway they could."

"It's a feeling I have," Ozpin replied and turned to face her. "Helping that boy is important. Something is going to happen soon and I want to be prepared."

"Do you have any ideas?"

"I have many, but without more evidence, each seems as unlikely as the next." He sipped his coffee.

"What would you like me to do about the missing girl?" Glynda asked. "Peter still has not returned."

"That will no longer be an issue," Ozpin reassured her.

"You can't be serious!" Glynda almost shouted. "A little girl lost in the woods near our school is a serious issue! Can you imagine what will happen if the news gets out?!"

"What I mean is," Ozpin correct himself. "She has been found."

"By who?"

"Three members of Team RWBY."

"I should have known," Glynda groaned and rubbed her head again. "They always find a way to get involved in everything, even if they shouldn't. Remember the incident at the docks?" She blinked. "Wait, how do you know they found her?"

"As soon as Team JNPR informed me she was lost," Ozpin explained calmly. "I sent word out to some of my friends in Vale, asking them to keep an eye out. With Peter covering the Emerald Forest, if she was not located there, the odds of her finding her way to Vale would be the next logical possibility we could realistically check. If she found her way to another kingdom, it would be difficult to reach her."

"You never believed she was actually with the boy," Glynda pointed out suspiciously.

"Since I was told there were no signs of her near the battle," Ozpin continued. "And I believe in our student's skills, it was likely she had never been there. I simply expanded the search area and kept an ear out for rumors. My decision was rewarded."

"You always had a knack for staying on top of things," Glynda agreed. "Well then, I should contact Team RWBY and let them know to head to my office to explain the situation."

"No, delay that." Glynda frowned and looked at him curiously.

"They should be notified the girl needs to be brought here or they might take her to Vale security."

"This is Team RWBY, remember?"

"What does that…?" Her eyes widened and she rubbed her temples. "They are planning to sneak her into Beacon for some reason, aren't they?"

"That is what my friend overheard," Ozpin confirmed. "Might as well let our students have some fun and think they have pulled the wool over our eyes."

"Ozpin," Glynda said irritably. Her glare became hawklike. "The rules for sneaking in someone are very clear. Such an action would result in a minimum of two weeks-…"

"The situation needs to be taken into account," Ozpin interrupted. "I rather have this be kept low-key for as long as possible, at least until the boy wakes up. You may notify Team JNPR she has been found. No doubt they are worried and kicking themselves for being unable to locate her. However, make sure they understand to keep quiet about the ordeal."

"Understood," Glynda relented and turned to leave.

"Oh, one more thing Glynda."

"Yes?"

"Also tell them to see Team RWBY as soon as they return. Make up a reason for why."

"I'm beginning to think you are using this opportunity to amuse yourself."

"I have no idea what you mean," Ozpin replied mildly and sipped his coffee. "People enjoy pleasant surprises." Glynda rolled her eyes and left his office. Ozpin sat down and picked up the ID Glynda left on his desk. He looked at it closely for a moment and set it back down. He then picked up the medical report and skimmed it once more. Beacon's staff was more than capable of using dust to heal wounds, but complicated brain injuries could be tricky. There were a lot of factors involved, but Ozpin believed the situation could be resolved in as little as a couple days. Instead, he was focused on something else. He stood up again and looked out the window, with his arms crossed behind his back.

 _So the boy is called Accelerator. Interesting name._

Contrary to what he let on, Ozpin actually recognized the strange language. Ten years had passed since he found the need to read it. He still remembered the day he met a person who could speak and write this language. That man claimed to be from a different world and was only passing through to look for something. Ozpin sensed something from that man, something almost unnatural, but after talking, they found out they had a bit in common. Both had been willing to learn from each other. Ozpin acquired a new language and he had educated the man in basic dust usage. One day the man didn't show up and Ozpin never heard from him again.

 _I wonder if this boy is related to him. They both had white hair._

* * *

"Your friend works at a nightclub?" Touma asked in shock.

"Junior _owns_ the nightclub," Roman laughed. After Roman had given Touma a basic understanding of Remnant, which admittedly took longer than it should have, Roman had not been impressed at the boy's intelligence. However, he had to keep the boy, and by extension Neo, happy. He still didn't know what she saw in him, besides the desire to torture him by pretending to be an obsessed girlfriend. It made the boy obviously uncomfortable. Night was beginning to fall, because they had to wait for the club to open before they could arrive. Well, that was what Roman told Touma, but the truth was Roman could hardly walk around in broad daylight. "He knows pretty much everyone and will be able to find your friends. While he's doing that, I'll take you to our shipment dock. Again, thanks for offering to help us."

"It was the least I could do," Touma replied. "After all the help you and Neo had given to me." Neo giggled and pretended to be embarrassed at the praise. Inside, she was planning how to embarrass him in the club. It wasn't like Junior or his men would stop her from having fun. They knew what would happen if they angered her.

"One more thing," Roman added as they stepped inside and the music started getting quite loud. "Try to avoid attracting attention to yourself. You don't want to accidently show off your unique ability. It could cause some problems if the wrong person finds out." He glared at Neo for a second. The sign was obvious. _This means you too._

Neo waved her hand dismissively. Roman wasn't fooled. He knew she would do whatever she wanted to do. It was only because they had been working together for so long that she even obeyed most of his orders. Case in point, he had specifically asked her to keep the boy and herself out of trouble until they left for Junior's, so what did she do? She stabbed one of his men because they had commented that Neo found a lover. Of course, Touma had been in a different room and didn't know what happened, but Roman was down a man now.

"I'll just sit in the corner or something," Touma replied. "I don't want any trouble." He sighed. "Trouble usually finds me soon enough."

"Well, keep it to a minimum." Roman led them to the bar, rather than near the dancefloor. A person dressed up as a bear was the DJ and a lot of people were enjoying themselves. This was perfect for him. The more people attending, the easier it was to blend in. While Roman walked confidently and seemed not to have a care in the world, he was constantly scanning the room for anything suspicious. The only thing he saw were the men in suits and red sunglasses, but they were Junior's men. He sat down and motioned for Neo and Touma to sit down a little further away. He only had to wait for a few seconds when the bartender approached him.

"What will you have?"

"Information."

"One moment." He disappeared into the back and Roman grinned to himself. Everything was going perfectly. As long as someone didn't squeal, he would be in and out before anyone even knew he had been there. Junior was his primary source of information. What Roman had told Touma about Junior was true, he did know just about everyone. Roman's relationship with Junior had been strained recently, but as long as Roman didn't try to borrow more men, Junior would complain a bit and then give him the information he desired. Roman glanced over at Neo, who seemed to be ordering something to drink from another bartender and pressuring the boy to drink with her. As long as she didn't start wrecking the place, she could have her fun. Less than thirty seconds later, the bartender returned with another man behind him.

"Roman," Junior growled and leaned on the bar across from him. Junior was a big man and wore a black vest over a white dress shirt, a red tie, black gloves, and black dress pants. He had gray eyes, short black hair, along with a matching beard and mustache. Right now, those grey eyes were staring down at Roman with a mixture of suspicion and dislike. "You have some nerve. I thought I told you I didn't want you coming around here anymore. You are going to have security up my ass again."

"I'm here for information only," Roman said confidently. "But it's best we speak in private. A lot is going on right now." His eyes darted to Neo and Touma.

"I see," Junior muttered. His curiosity had been raised. "I suppose a talk won't hurt if your companion doesn't cause trouble."

"I told her to behave," Roman reassured him and they shared a look. They both knew what Neo was capable of. "Besides, she will be distracted for a bit and I doubt she will be in the mood to do anything."

"Who's the boy," Junior asked in an undertone. "Her new toy?"

"That's what I thought at first," Roman answered. "Let's just say that boy is dangerous, so do not talk about anything near him." Junior raised an eyebrow and stood up straight. He whispered something to the bartender, who then hastily scooted off.

"Fine," Junior relented. "We can chat in my office." Roman grinned and followed Junior to a back room. Junior sat down on the far side of his desk and Roman took the seat across from him. Junior frowned and reached into a drawer. He pulled out a couple glasses and a bottle of greenish alcohol. After pouring two glasses, he pushed one of them over and took a deep swig of his own.

"The good stuff?" Roman laughed and took it. "I knew you still liked my company."

"I'm hoping you will drink too much and die," Junior grumbled back. "So what makes the great Criminal Mastermind Roman Torchwick seek out my help?"

"I'm looking for some people," Roman replied and passed over a picture. "Here's a copy of the boy's friends. I need to know their whereabouts. He has no idea where they could be and there are a lot of reasons why he doesn't. I'm not going into details about that. Let's say he comes from very far away. If they are anywhere in Vale, I need to know."

"Should be easy enough to find the boy," Junior muttered, as Roman sipped his drink. "White hair stands out for kids. Can't make any promises on the girl." He leaned back in his chair. "I expect the normal fee for locating them."

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Roman replied. "See, working with me has its benefits. Nice easy job for you."

"What's your interest with these two?" Junior asked. "Are you trying to blackmail the boy by taking the girl?"

"Nope," Roman answered smugly and leaned back in his seat to imitate Junior. He then sipped his drink before answering. "I'm doing this purely out of the goodness of my heart to help Neo's new friend."

"Bullshit," Junior told him slowly and deliberately. "You and I both know your heart is a shriveled husk of greed and ass."

"Hah! Can't argue with that." Roman paused. "But it is really for him. He came to me and asked for help."

"And what could a boy offer you in exchange for your assistance?" Junior had to ask suspiciously.

"You wound me," Roman said dramatically and placed his hand over his heart. "A boy was in need and I provided support freely." Junior stared at him, until Roman dropped the act and grew serious. "The boy is powerful, but doesn't know how to optimize that power. I plan to make full use of it, to more than make up for your small finder's fee."

"He doesn't look powerful. In fact, he looks pretty normal. Couldn't detect anything special about him at all."

"Nothing at all?" Roman asked this time, a smug smile plastered on his face. Junior frowned.

"He didn't have his Aura unlocked," Junior mumbled. "That's not unusual…" His eyes widened. "That boy didn't have an Aura at all. I was too focused on you and Neo to process that information."

"Bingo!"

"What the hell have you been toying with Roman!?" Junior demanded and stood up. He slammed his hands on the table. "The only things without Aura are Grimm and the nonliving! What is that boy?!"

"Calm down and have a drink," Roman responded and gestured to Junior's glass. Junior glared at him and downed the rest of his drink. "Good man. You have to think about your blood pressure." Roman imitated Junior's action and downed the rest of his own. "That boy has a power I have never seen before and it is because of this power he doesn't have an Aura." Junior frowned and Roman leaned forward. "Neo found him outside Vale surrounded by a swarm of Grimm."

"So he's strong?" Junior shrugged. "That doesn't explain anything. Many experience Hunters can kill large groups of Grimm."

"He never fought any of them," Roman explained.

"What?"

"The Grimm, they ran away from him in fear."

"Impossible. They are incapable of feeling fear."

"He has the power to erase them with merely a touch," Roman continued, enjoying the shocked expression. "Neo witnessed a King Taijitu try to flee him and then disappear."

"That doesn't explain-…"

"Tell me," Roman interrupted. "What makes Hunter's such a pain in the ass to deal with? I'm sure you know since you have the same power."

"Our Auras," Junior responded. "It gives us strength, speed, defense, and Semblances. Quit playing me for a fool."

"And if you fought a Hunter," Roman continued. "What would happen if they lost their Aura in midfight?" There was silence as this sunk in.

"It can't… That boy can erase Auras?" Junior understood what it meant if someone's Aura faded away completely. They would die. He didn't know about the specifics of Touma's power and that information conveniently slipped from Roman's mind. He didn't bother to mention it.

"Now you know why he is so dangerous," Roman continued. "With his power to repel Grimm, as long as he keeps control of his negativity, and crush Hunters, I can deliver my shipment of dust outside of Vale with relative ease and deal with any Hunters who happen to discover us." He grimaced. "Those teenage brats are interfering way too often."

"He didn't seem like the kind of kid to get involved in your kind of activities," Junior finally replied after a short silence. He poured himself another drink. "How did you convince him to help?"

"Oh that was much easier than even I could have hoped for." Roman leaned back in his chair. "Remember when I said he came from far away?"

"Yeah?"

"He doesn't know anything about Vale, Hunters, or the White Fang."

"Okay?"

"So I had to fill him in on those details," Roman continued and then laughed. Junior's eyes widened, when he understood, and a smile began to form on his face.

"You devious bastard," Junior said. He couldn't help admire Roman's skill. "What did you tell him."

"Never get tired of hearing how great I am." Roman laughed and then moved back onto topic. "Naturally, I started off with the totalitarian government of Vale. How they keep all the dust, our very lifeline, to themselves. They starve the nearby towns, keep the poor from having enough to do little more than live, and discriminate against the Faunus. Anyone who disagrees with them gets assaulted by their merciless enforcers known as Hunters. I even recounted my own adventure against the Red Reaper of Death. Seriously, what kind of city would let someone run around with a giant scythe and attack people?" He laughed again. "I didn't tell him we steal dust, but that we smuggle it to the poor and to smaller towns, so they can protect themselves from Grimm attacks. He seemed to be okay with that."

"So you lied about the government, which is actually made up of elected officials, and turned the Hunters, our protectors against Grimm, into villains. Let me guess, these _towns_ are full of Faunus?"

"Of course they are," Roman confirmed in a voice full of mirth. "The White Fang is a freedom group after all. They want to make sure everyone can live, even as they are being oppressed, beaten, and being smeared by Vale. He seemed to understand the pain the group is facing. Something must have happened back home with him. As long as they don't resort to violence, he doesn't have any problem with them protesting for equal treatment. Kid's a little more mature than I gave him credit for, but he's still pretty naïve. He at least understands self-defense when a Hunter attacks." He shook his head in amusement. "Seriously, I think I had too much fun storytelling." He went into a few more details while Junior listened.

"Great," Junior muttered. "A boy with virtually a godlike power has fallen to your lies. Never imagined a human could think the White Fang are peaceful. I'm expecting you to run Vale in a couple years with that tongue of yours. You never cared about anyone before. To think someone believed you are a champion for the downtrodden is laughable."

"I always look out for the most important people."

"And they are?"

"Me, myself, and I."

"Of course," Junior sighed. "Well, don't get me involved in that shit and I'll track these two down for you. Should I go through you or send the information to him directly?"

"Send it to me," Roman answered. "I promised him I would look for them and then let him know if I find something. I never said _when_ I would notify him after I found them, only that it could take a long time."

"Smooth." Junior put the picture away. "Anything else before I kick you out?"

"Depends. Interested in helping me out by solidifying my story?"

"What would that entail?" Junior asked and crossed his arm.

"Nothing big," Roman replied innocently. "When we go back out there, I'll introduce you two. He will probably thank you for your help, a kid with manners, it still shocks me. If you wanted to, let's say… tell him a time or two the Hunters have assaulted you or people you know unprovoked? Feel free to embellish as much as you want. Who knows, he may even be willing to work with you at some point in the future. I have to assume he will grow up at some point and leave my employment."

"This goes against my better judgement," Junior said and rubbed his chin. "But I could do that easily enough. Shoot, I could tell him the truth. You know when my bar was destroyed a while back?" Roman nodded. "A blonde girl came in and threw a temper tantrum because I didn't know where some woman was. Turns out she joined Beacon as a Hunter. It may cause her trouble down the road, so I could embellish a few details, like saying she was a Hunter when she attacked. It wasn't like I could report her to Vale security. We aren't exactly clean here."

"A few stories of the Hunter tyranny will make sure that boy believes every word I say, even if he meets one." Roman stood up. "I will have to tell my subordinates not to say or do certain things around him, but Neo is sure to keep them in line. When she's around, they work quietly and efficiently or they die." Junior stood up at his words.

"I haven't received a call saying she started a fight," he said. "But I have a feeling something is wrong."

"If she wanted to," Roman mentioned offhandedly. "Your entire club would be a sea of blood without any alarm being raised."

"You sure are good at putting my worries to rest," Junior growled sarcastically. "Get out. I need to see how much damage control will have to be done. I'm seriously debating if I want to keep doing business with you."

"You and I both know our relationship won't change," Roman replied. "I will come to you for information and you will accept my Lien. It's how this works."

"I hate to admit it, but you're right," Junior said and shook his head.

"I'm pretty sure this was obvious," Roman added as an afterthought. "You are good at keeping secrets, but if you should leak anything about our meeting today, Neo will be dropping by for a surprise visit. There will be no place you can hide."

"I know," Junior said and tried to sound casual, but he started sweating. Neo was a very real threat. "Part of the job as an information broker is confidentiality. People don't come back if you can't be quiet and a dagger in my back is not what I would like to happen."

"Good man," Roman laughed. "Now, let's see what my associates have been up to in my absence. They greatly admire me you know."

"Sure they do." Junior replied dryly. "Like a rash." They left his office and walked back to the main floor. The club was getting busier, as more customers made their way in. Junior may have been an informant and his club a hangout for some of the shadier groups in Vale, but it was still a real business, a very popular one. Even if he didn't work with criminals, he probably would still have a decent living off the proceeds, but greed can be a powerful motivator. They headed toward the bar and then they both stopped. "Where did the boy go?"

"No idea," Roman said. "But Neo looks unhappy."

That would have been the understatement of the century. Neo was still sitting at the bar and her eyes staring off toward the dance floor. A dark aura surrounded her and kept all other customers and employees away. Several shattered glasses littered the bar table in front of her, but the bartender was standing on the far side, deliberately avoiding eye contact. He refused to be anywhere near Neo for his own safety. That was a smart idea, because the expression on her face indicated she would kill anyone who even remotely annoyed her. Roman sighed and walked up to her, but made sure he approached from the side, rather than sneaking up on her from behind. Junior followed.

"Where's the kid?"

Neo's scowl grew as her eyes darted toward him and Junior. She sighed and pointed to a table on the edge of the dance floor and they turned. Junior's mouth fell open and Roman rubbed his forehead.

"I told him to avoid attracting attention," Roman said irritably. "And he does something like this." Neo nodded, her expression unchanged. The boy was sitting on a table, a tall drink placed in front of him, but looked untouched. Flanked on either side of him were two very attractive girls.

The girl to his right was wearing a white, strapless dress with cyan lining. Her accessories included a large white flower hairpin above her left ear, a white feather scarf, a silver pad with cyan and red feathers on her left shoulder, white gloves, a bow in the center of the top-most part of her bodice, a silver chained belt, cyan wings on the lower back, and long white boots with blades at the heels. The other girl was wearing a red strapless dress with black lining. Her accessories included large red and white feathers above her left ear, black fur hanging off her shoulders and held at the front by a dark gray chain, red gloves, a black bow tied around her waist, and long red boots with very high stiletto heels.

The two girls were also twins, even if their hair styles and clothes were different. The one in white had long black hair and pale green eyes, highlighted by heavy cyan makeup. The girl in red had short black hair and pale green eyes, highlighted by heavy red makeup. Both seemed to be laughing and trying to draw the boy's attention.

"I asked for the twins to keep an eye on him because you said he was trouble," Junior told Roman. "If I knew this would happen…" he grew quiet when Neo turned to him, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"Okay Neo," Roman sighed in frustration. "Tell me what happened." Neo immediately started recounting the story with her sign language.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **Everything is coming together nicely. We still never found out what happened to the man in the first chapter, but I'm sure he will show up at some point. I also had a few people comment on Blake being missing, and she should be making her first appearance next chapter.**


	4. Guests

**I find myself enjoying this story more and more as I write it, so I thought, sure, I'll do two chapters of this in a row. Everything is beginning to merge so there are fewer groups I have to be focusing on. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everything who has commented, followed, and/or favorited this story. It is very encouraging to see how many people enjoy the work I spent time to make, and I know other authors do to. Thank you everyone. Enough of the sappy stuff and let's move to the comments so we can get back to the story.**

 **IJN Zuikaku: That's an idea. I suppose I could do a very short omake at the end of a chapter. That scene might actually work with this chapter.**

 **shiroryuu01: Jaune needs a rival. Ladykiller vs Harem King showdown.**

 **Adesis: After, he mentions magic gods already, but it's going to be before the Kamisato arc too.**

 **CD123505: That is why Roman needs a little help in solidifying the atrocities of Hunters. I'm pretty sure most people know Touma will eventually find out about his lies/partial truths and fight him. The question is when and how much will Roman get out of it?**

 **RPGPersona: You discovered my secret goal of constantly taking up your time. I loved the idea of Yang dressing up Last Order as a mini Blake. I seriously thought about it to see if it could work. Ozpin always seems to have some idea of what is going on, except when you use a very convoluted plan and dress up as a teenager. I never said it was Aleister…. But yeah, traveling between dimensions can be weird. You have to bend time AND space so you could spend a year in one world then travel back and only a day has passed, or the other way around. Roman Hood shall be the savior of Remnant. Don't worry, this chapter will answer both of your desires, what happened and team bonding.**

 **The Rupture: Accelerator at 100% is kind of OP, but will have to see how well dust works on him.**

 **Duskrider: He gets all the villains and maybe 1-2 of the main girls. Huh, Touma with Cinder and Emerald… that sounds way more fun than it should.**

 **tython055: I can mention it to a few people I know, but no idea if they would be interested.**

 **Adv: Thanks for the compliment.**

 **FireDusk: Dorm Manager helps Glynda make Ozpin be an actual headmaster.**

 **YCG: Dust allow people to use magic, but I believe it requires Aura to activate, ice blades made by Cinder, or technology, like dust bullets.**

 **Dead Salvation: Coma for the entire story…. Just kidding. He will wake up soon.**

 **Guest: Originally Aleister had white hair in novel, but later became silver. Though, he could probably easily change his hair color whenever he wanted to. We will avoid alcoholic scenes for now. Need Yang, Jaune, Nora, and a few others to join their drunk shenanigans. Neo is very possessive. As for kiss, does a cheek kiss count? Indirect? Or does it have to be on the lips?**

 **ultron emperor: Now that you say that, I kind of do too.**

 **WiliamZ0: This crossover blends the two universes together more than my other one, which was made kind of jokingly and for laughs. I don't think that will come up, since no one really knows about the image blocking. Accelerator will get healed to a degree, otherwise he will be stuck in bed the entire story.**

 **G119: Have to say a few chapters before Accelerator starts doing stuff, but he WILL do awesome things.**

 **General soto: Nah, Touma's kindness gets misinterpreted.**

 **dickythamrin077: I'm not sure how much they will show up, to be honest. I planned for them to show up periodically at least. I came up with this earlier in the week and a friend and I had a good laugh. If we take (T)ouma, (M)elanie, (M)iltia, and (N)eo form the team TMMN (Touman).**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

"Man, Pyrrha," Nora laughed. "You need to learn how to dodge or we are never going to finish."

"Don't be too hard on her," Ren said. "She's new to this."

"Sorry," Pyrrha apologized softly. "I'm really trying."

"Focus guys," Jaune told them. "A lot of enemies up ahead and we are getting near the end."

"Oh crap!" Nora yelled. "Incoming. Go get them, Jaune-Jaune!"

"Why do you expect me to do everything?"

"Because you have been carrying us up to now!"

"Ren has been helping a lot too!"

"I'm just support," Ren pointed out. "You and Pyrrha have to be on the front lines."

"And I'm not much help right now," Pyrrha added depressed.

"That's not true," Jaune reassured her and she looked over at him with skepticism in her eyes. "You take several hits before going down, so I can thin out the numbers."

"Thanks," she said sarcastically and punched him in the shoulder. "Glad I know I'm indispensable."

"The music changed!" Nora warned. "It's time for the boss fight!"

The four members of Team JNPR were sitting in their room around a large screen. They were playing a new game Jaune and Ren had bought recently. It was called Grimm Slayers and was designed to imitate Hunter's fighting Grimm for the general populace. It let players create their own character with a set number of skills and then a special weapon. They all had based their characters on themselves which lead to Jaune fulfilling the role of the tank, Pyrrha was a speed fighter, Nora was pure strength and no defense, while Ren took over the roll as range support. Jaune and Ren were more experienced than the other two, so they were carrying the team. Nora just enjoyed smashing things and had fun that way. Pyrrha was… there were no other words to describe it… horrible. She had the record for most number of deaths, which was only ten times more than Nora's, and that was saying something when Nora usually changed into a group of Grimm headfirst. Eventually, they finished the level and put the game away. It had primarily being used as a distraction from the earlier events.

"I feel better," Nora announced and flopped back on her bed. "Had pancakes, killed Grimm, saved someone, ate lunch, found out the girl is safe, and now we beat the last level! Today was productive! Anyone up for some sparing tonight after dinner?"

"I bet we could get Team RWBY to join us," Jaune said with a grin. "Ruby mentioned she wanted to do some team bonding exercises anyway. Maybe we can trick Yang into fighting you Nora, I still have the bruises from last time." The entire team laughed.

"You seem in a much better mood," Pyrrha commented to Jaune.

"I'm just happy Goodwitch informed us the girl had been found," Jaune replied.

"I'm kind of surprise she managed to find her way into Vale," Ren added and everyone else looked at him. "Either she was always there, or they had been separated long before we found him. Did anyone else think Professor Goodwitch was hiding something?"

"Huh?" Nora asked and sat up immediately. "I thought Ozpin sent her to tell us the girl had been found? Do you think she's lying? I don't think she would lie about something like that."

"No Nora," Ren replied calmly with a shake of his head. "The second half."

"Now that you mentioned it," Pyrrha said slowly. "I understand there are reasons why she told us to keep this information secret. A person who can fight Grimm like he did without an unlocked Aura would no doubt cause him unnecessary attention. What I don't understand is why she is allowing us to tell Team RWBY about him."

"I figured she knew we would tell them anyways," Jaune suggested with a shrug. "We were going to."

"Dang right we were!" Nora agreed loudly.

"It was her wording," Pyrrha explained and Ren nodded. Jaune and Nora looked between them confused.

"She didn't flat out say we weren't allowed to tell Team RWBY," Ren pointed out. "Her exact words were 'You might as well tell Team RWBY what happened today when they return. I have little doubt you would be able to keep this a secret from them for very long.' It sounds like she wants us to tell them, but in a way to make it sound like it was purely our idea."

"You two are paranoid," Nora laughed. "Goodwitch would never tell us to break rules on purpose. She just knows us too well, because all the time we spend in detention."

"And why is that?" Jaune asked, as he turned toward her with a look that was a combination of exasperation and amusement.

"I blame aliens," Nora whispered back innocently. "They are always up to no good."

"Of course they are," Jaune sighed. "Keep any eye out for them for me. We don't need to spend any more time in detention."

"I will not fail, Fearless Leader!" Nora told him and gave a snappy salute.

"Well, now that the alien issue is settled," Jaune said and turned back to Ren and Pyrrha. Both were looking at him, but amusement was etched on their faces. "I guess we wait until our friends return and then tell them what happened. Knowing Ruby, she's going to want to see the mystery person we found and Yang will probably want to tag along too."

"I'm planning to do a little studying until then," Ren said. "If you would like to go somewhere, I will keep an eye open for when they return."

"As much fun as that sounds," Jaune yawned and stretched. "I think I want to kick back, relax, and read my new X-Ray and Vav comic. If Nora wants to train tonight, I'm not doing anything after that except crash."

"I'll go easy on you!" Nora called over. Ren shared a quick look with Pyrrha. Nora's version of 'going easy' meant she didn't break your knees, usually.

"Did you finish your essay?" Ren asked Jaune.

"Mostly," Jaune admitted. "It's a little shorter than it probably should be, but I figure I'll give it a look over tomorrow and spruce it up." He had made decent progress after returning to his room. The difficult essay was one of the best ways he had to keep his mind off the situation earlier that morning. His teammates eventually returned and Pyrrha brought him a sandwich from the cafeteria. With Pyrrha's help, he made a lot more progress on his paper. Ren and Nora worked on theirs too, but it was more Ren trying to keep Nora in one place long enough for her to actually write her own. Nora's grades weren't bad, it's just she had a hard time keeping still in one place for an extended period of time. Once everyone was finished, they sort of sat around, not talking much, and seemed to be lost in their own thoughts.

Jaune had finally broken the silence and suggested they do something to distract them, like play the new video game. Ren had agreed quickly. Not only did he not mind playing video games once in a while, he could feel the dark atmosphere and understood they needed a change in pace. Nora agreed because she liked video games and Ren was playing. Pyrrha surprised them all by asking if she could play too. Normally, she was content with just watching. Jaune gave her a quick tutorial and they set off. The distraction worked well until Glynda knocked on their door. Once she told them about the girl being found, the atmosphere became significantly lighter, which lead to their current situation.

"You shouldn't leave things to the last minute," Pyrrha warned him. "We have a round of training to do tomorrow night, don't forget."

"I haven't," Jaune reassured her. "I think your teaching is finally penetrating my skull."

"Or her sword is!" Nora called out and everyone laughed.

"Your defense has improved considerably," Pyrrha commented. "What we really need to work on is for you to recognize when to attack. You are still hesitant when provided with an opening."

"That's easier said than done," Jaune muttered and fell back onto his bed. "Anytime I think you are leaving an opening, it turns out to be a trap or I mess up the timing. Some of these bruises aren't from Nora." Pyrrha blushed slightly.

"I have to put in a few decoys or you won't learn how to detect them," Pyrrha defended her action.

"I know," Jaune reassured her. "I'm only upset at myself for not being quicker in seeing it."

"Detecting an opponent's weakness is a very advance skill," Ren spoke up from his desk. He had a book open, but paused and looked over his shoulder. "I base a good part of my fighting style on it and it took years to become proficient. I don't have the strength to break through guards like Nora does."

"Just because I like to take the direct approach, doesn't mean I can't tell when someone is skilled like Renny," Nora pointed out. "You have gotten loads better since we met Jaune-Jaune. Think of all those Grimm you killed earlier!"

"Thanks guys," Jaune said gratefully. "I'm not going to let this get me down. I'm going to keep training, until I'm one of the best Hunters at school."

"Then you can fight Pyrrha for the top spot of the year!" Nora exclaimed excitedly. "Ren and I can sell tickets and buy celebration pancakes afterwards!"

"Sure Nora," Ren said without looking up from his book.

"I look forward to that day Jaune," Pyrrha said with a giggle and then moved her head slightly to the left. Her bed was closest to the hallway so she was able to hear the sound first. "I think Team RWBY is back, but they seem to be arguing."

"About what?!" Nora asked excitedly and pressed her ear up to the door.

"We really shouldn't…," Pyrrha started to say, but trailed off when Jaune joined Nora.

"It's no use," Ren told her. "You know those two well enough by now."

"True." She couldn't deny she was also slightly curious and a small smile tugged at her lips.

"Come on Ren," Nora half-whispered, half-demanded. Ren sighed, but knew trying to ignore her would be either a futile effort or lead down a series of events, that would end up with something destroyed and many people injured. He walked up and listened at the door. Outnumbered, Pyrrha joined her team. The voices were muffled at first, but quickly grew louder.

"…I can't believe this is working." That was definitely Ruby's excitable voice.

"It was better than Yang's first idea," Weiss's voice replied. "So glad Coco and I managed to talk her out of it."

"She was surprisingly helpful," Ruby added. "Even after Yang's horrible suggestion."

"I'm right here," Yang grumbled. "And my first plan would have worked out fine. A tiny Blake would not have drawn too much attention."

"What could you have possibly told people who noticed?" Weiss asked incredulously. "Assuming they thought it was actually her?"

"Dust accident."

"There's a dust that turns people into kids?" Ruby asked.

"Maybe," Yang answered.

"No there isn't!" Weiss snapped.

"What are they talking-…?" Nora whispered

"Quiet," Jaune interrupted her with a shush. "I can't hear."

"Worry about that later," Yang said. "Let's get inside and unpack her."

"Hope the air hole was enough," Ruby said nervously.

"She's moving around," Weiss pointed out. Team JNPR heard a door open and close, before the hallway grew quiet. Jaune was the first to stand up and the others imitated him.

"I think they brought a pet into Beacon," Jaune guessed.

"Cool!" Nora squealed. "We have to go over and see what it is! I hope it's a sloth! It has to be a sloth, right Renny?!"

"I doubt it's a Sloth," Ren replied calmly. "But I do agree they brought something."

"That's against the rules," Pyrrha said softly. "I hope they don't get into trouble."

"But that's what makes it awesome!" Nora argued. "A secret pet is the most important thing for a secret organization!" Her eyes widened. "When did Team RWBY join a secret organization?! Is that where they went today?! Which secret organization could it be?!"

"I think it's more likely they formed their own," Pyrrha answered with a smile.

"We have to go over there and make them let us in!" Nora declared and suddenly burst out of their dorm room. It took the combine effort of all three of her teammates to hold her back from busting down Team RWBY's door. She finally stopped struggling and looked extremely disappointed.

"I'll handle this," Jaune volunteered and stood up. He walked over and knocked on the door. "Hey, it's Jaune, I heard you guys coming back."

"What do you want Arc?!" he heard Weiss snap at him.

"We have something important to tell you all."

"Can it wait?" Ruby asked. "We are a little busy."

"It will be quick," Jaune promised.

"It involved a flying Ursa!" Nora added loudly.

"Wait, what?!" Ruby exclaimed in shock. "Is Nora telling one of her stories?"

"We kind of did see one," Jaune admitted, but purposely left the details out. They really shouldn't be discussing it in a hallway.

"I want to hear all about that," Yang's voice came through now. "But sorry Vomit Boy, we have to take care of something, maybe later?"

"We know about your stowaway," Jaune sighed and finally told them the truth. "We heard you outside our dorm."

"EHH!?" All three girls cried out in shock, while Jaune and his team snickered, except Ren, who only smiled.

"We won't tell," Jaune promised. "So you don't have to hide it."

"One second and we will let you guys in," Ruby relented. Jaune heard the door unlock, and then Ruby stuck her head out and looked up and down the hall. "Okay, come in." She waved them in urgently and slammed the door shut as soon as they stepped through. Jaune glanced around the room. It looked exactly like it had last time he had been in there. They had two bunkbeds created by using makeshift rope and books. Yang was leaning up against one of the desks and waved to Jaune and the others when they entered. A new looking, large, brown and black luggage bag with wheels was opened next to her Blake wasn't with them, but all thoughts about her were driven from their minds when they saw Weiss. She was sitting on her bed with a small brown haired girl in a blue dress with white polka dots.

A very familiar girl to them.

"IT'S HER!"

* * *

Neo had been planning to behave, as long as someone didn't start something, while Roman and Junior talked. She had to keep up appearances for the boy next to her. While Roman went off to do his job, Neo felt like she deserved a drink because she put up with him and his stupid men. _Just because I bring a boy with me doesn't mean we are lovers._ She pulled out her phone and showed the screen to Touma, who had sat down next to her. _'What do you want to drink? My treat.'_

"Anything is fine," Touma whispered back and he eyed the bartender. "But no alcohol, I'm pretty weak to it."

 _We are at a bar and you don't want to drink?_ Neo thought incredulously. She kept calm though and typed out another message. _'Come on, live a little. It's not like you go crazy when drunk. Do you?'_

"I was told I get a little… oblivious," he replied. "Then I cause a scene. We are supposed to stay inconspicuous, right?" Neo was curious about what kind of scene he would cause, but had to seriously resist the temptation to slip him alcohol. He had a point and Roman would not be happy if they trashed the bar. Neo waved the bartender over and held up her phone.

' _Usual for me and something nonalcoholic for the boy.'_ The man nodded nervously and went to fetch their drinks. Neo was a famous customer, so they knew what to make for her. Whatever Touma got would be a surprise though.

"Is that Junior?" Touma whispered in an undertone. Neo glanced over and saw the large man talking to Roman. She nodded. "He's a big guy." Neo smirked.

' _Intimidated?'_

"Huh? No. Why would I?" He was spared further prodding from Neo when the bartender appeared. He passed over a soda to Touma and a bright pink drink to Neo. A smile appeared on her face as she took her drink. Once the cool liquid passed her lips, she leaned back and sighed. Touma sipped at his a lot more reserved. "I'm surprised," he muttered. "This tastes pretty similar to stuff back home." He glanced over at Neo. "What drink is that?"

' _Oh, just something I had the people here learn for when I come in. Want a sip?'_

"I guess?" Touma said. "A sip probably won't hurt." Neo pushed her glass over and Touma pressed it against his mouth. He blinked and set down the glass. "Kind of fruity." He passed it back over and Neo began to type, but she didn't show Touma the screen immediately. She waited for him to start sipping his own drink when she flashed it in front of him.

' _You know we shared an indirect kiss, right?'_ His reaction was exactly like she imagined. He did a spectacular spit take and then dropped his drink into his lap.

"W-what?!" he spluttered and turned to her in shock. "Neo, why would you say it like that?!" Neo didn't answer and only burst out laughing. This caused a few eyes to focus intently on those two for a couple reasons. The people who knew Neo were in complete shock. One, whoever the boy was, actually seemed to be making Neo happy. People had seen her with new toys, but this was the first time they actually saw her with a genuine smile. Second, Neo had shared her drink.

Neo… _never_ … shared her food or drink with anyone.

This fact caused many of Junior's men to watch in sheer amazement as the boy stood up and tried to clean himself off with a couple napkins. Neo didn't help at all, but continued to laugh. The boy realized he was fighting a losing battle. "I'll be right back," he told her. "Restroom." Neo gestured in its direction, the one thing she did to help, and he rushed off. She then grabbed her drink and her eyes narrowed as she scanned around the room. Everyone quickly looked away, not wanting to be caught watching. They didn't want to die. Neo finally appeared satisfied, and leaned her back against the bar while she waited for the boy. It wasn't a long wait, but that's when things went south. The boy just exited the restroom, when he stopped and turned. Neo focused her attention on what was distracting him.

 _Looks like an old guy is trying to hit on the Malachite sisters,_ Neo thought. _Sucks to be that loser. They are going to kick his ass._ She was curious at why Touma was approaching them. He didn't seem like the type to randomly flirt with a girl. Neo focused and filtered out his voice along with the others near him.

"Sso ladiess," a man said, his words slurring. He was obviously drunk. The man had black hair that was slightly spikey, not nearly as much as Touma's. He was unshaven and wearing an old grey shirt with black pants. "How would you like to drink a bit with me tonight?"

"Ugh," a girl with a red dress and black fur covering her shoulders said. She had short black hair, green eyes, and many accessories. "Melanie, why do drunk guys always try to hit on us?"

"I don't know Miltia," Melanie said. She was wearing a white dress and feather scarf. She had long black hair and way too many accessories. "But we may have to teach him like the others."

"Feissty," the man laughed. "I like that."

"Hey!" Touma called out and walked up to him. "Can't you tell you are bothering those two?" Neo had to resist face palming. Not only was Touma trying to act like a hero, he was trying to help two girls who definitely did not need help.

"Aren't you a little young to be in a bar, kid?" the guy asked and turned around. "Sscram before you get hurt."

"I'm not leaving until you leave them alone," Touma told him. The man sighed and pushed at him with his hand. Touma responded by blocking with his own. For a brief instant, the man's strength started to push him back, when the sound of breaking glass went off. The man's eyes widened slightly and he frowned, while Touma knocked away his hand. The man tilted his head curiously at Touma and then grinned.

"I like you kid," the man told him. "We should drink together some time." His eyes flickered over to Neo. "When you aren't with someone else."

"As long as you don't bother other people."

"Whatever," he muttered. "I only wanted a drinking buddy. Maybe I'll go somewhere else." He staggered off, leaving Touma and the girls along.

"Our hero," Miltia said sarcastically, with a roll of her eyes.

"You're Neo's friend right?" Melanie asked and Touma nodded. She was a little more forceful than her sister. Miltia was a little softer spoken, even if both of them had a haughty attitude. "What made you decide to help us?"

"No reason except I saw a drunk guy bothering two pretty girls," Touma said with a shrug, and then suddenly diverted his eyes when he realized what he said. "I'll be going before Neo comes looking for me…" He trailed off and turned around.

"Not so fast," Melanie said suddenly and grabbed his shoulder. He was pulled back by her strength. "You are just going to leave us?"

"I sort of came here with someone-...," Touma tried to explain.

"Neo is a friend of ours," Melanie told him. "She will understand. We can hardly let a cute boy leave after helping us without an expression of gratitude. Can we Miltia?"

"That would be incredible rude," she agreed and grabbed his other shoulder. If the boy had tried to flirt with them, they probably wouldn't have done anything, but he tried to leave after helping and then complimenting them. Such an action was rare in their line of work and they were interested to see if this is what Neo saw in him. Plus, they were a tiny bit annoyed he didn't try to flirt with them.

"You came all this way," Melanie continued. "Let's give you a good time. Touma tried to protest, but they grabbed him by the arms and dragged him off between them. The twins led him to a table and one of them grabbed a couple drinks from a waiter. Eyes that had been mildly curious about the boy where now focused solely on him. Not only did the boy seem to be close to the famous and deadly Neo, he now attracted the attention of Miltia and Melanie Malachite, Junior's strongest bouncers. However, one person wasn't curious or shocked. She was pissed.

The almost empty glass shattered in Neo's hand.

The few people relatively close to her began to scoot away and the bartender was afraid to approach her. Once she tapped on the table for another drink, he didn't have much of a choice. He slid another one of her concoctions down and made sure to stay well out of range of her fists. Neo chugged the drink and glared at Touma, who had turned bright red when the twins talked on either side of him. _How dare they embarrass him? That's my job!_ She wanted to march over there and stab both of the girls, but Roman's warning echoed in her mind. It took all of her self-control not to, but her temper caused her to accidently slam the glass down too hard and it shattered. She also shattered Touma's glass for the heck of it. Her anger and irritation only grew when the twins seemed to laugh at almost anything Touma said and continued to have way more physical contact than was needed. It was a miracle neither of them touched his right hand.

"Where's the kid?" Roman asked her. She had seen him approaching, but only made a note of it until he spoke up. She sighed and pointed toward the table with him and the twins. "I told him to avoid attracting attention," Roman said irritably. "And he does something like this." Neo agreed completely.

"I asked for the twins to keep an eye on him because you said he was trouble," Junior told Roman. "If I knew this would happen…" His voice failed under the look Neo gave him.

 _It was his fault this happened!_ Neo reached for her umbrella. She spent a few minutes explaining everything relevant that happened to Roman and Junior, at Roman's request, which might have saved Junior's life.

"Come on," Roman said to Junior. "Let's rescue him from their grip, have you two meet, and then I need to get going. I feel like a babysitter today." He rubbed the side of his head.

"Never thought those two would go after a poor looking kid," Junior huffed. "They usually prefer higher class clientele." He and Roman walked over to them, but Neo stayed at the bar. She couldn't guarantee she wouldn't start something. "Hey girls," Junior told the twins. "Need to let him go. We have business."

"Looks like your problems are solved," Roman added and glanced at Touma.

"Aww," Miltia sighed.

"You will come visit when you are in the area, right?" Melanie asked.

"Not sure how much time I will have," Touma admitted and rubbed the back of his neck. "If I can spare some time, sure."

"Such a nice boy," Melanie laughed and looked over at her sister. "I think he deserves a farewell gift. What do you think?"

"I couldn't agree more," Miltia replied and the twins grinned. They swooped in at Touma and each kissed him on the cheek. The poor (or lucky based on different points of view) boy looked like a deer in headlights. Roman sighed and pulled his chair back.

"We don't have time for… whatever this is," Roman said and Touma snapped back to reality. He got to his feet, waved goodbye to the girls, and followed Roman and Junior back to the bar.

"Kid," Junior told Touma. "Not sure what you did, but I have never seen anything like that. You appear to have no resistance to girls, yet they flock around you."

"They were just repaying me for helping get rid of a drunk that was bothering them," Touma told him quickly. Junior started laughing and Touma looked confused.

"I'm not laughing at you," Junior finally explained. "Those two can take care of themselves. They help out when fights break out here." Touma's confusion turned to shock.

"You have a lot to learn about women," Roman told him. "Maybe after my next delivery, I can share some advice."

"Thank you," Touma told him slightly hesitantly, because Neo shook her head vigorously behind Roman. Touma caught her eye and she smirked at him, but he felt a shiver down his spine at her expression. He realized he did something wrong, but didn't know what.

"So you're the famous kid Roman told me about," Junior commented. "You probably know this, but I'm Junior."

"Touma Kamijou."

"Roman gave me the picture and I'm going to have my friends keep an eye out for yours," Junior continued. "Vale is a big place and there is a chance they may not be here."

"I know," Touma admitted. "But any help you can supply will be greatly appreciated."

"Roman was right," Junior laughed. "A kid with manners." Roman and Neo laughed too. "I deal with a lot of kids who just turn of age and they can't handle alcohol. Then there are the Hunters…" He sighed and rubbed his head.

"They don't bother you, right?" Touma asked quietly. He couldn't see Roman's smug grin at Neo, who understood immediately where this was going. "They shouldn't be extorting you or something."

"Not that bad," Junior admitted. "I think the best way to describe them is presumptuous. Vale lets them do whatever they want because we need them. They keep the Grimm from invading the city and that leniency had caused many of them to think laws don't apply to them, which they really don't. The Vale council decides who gets help and aid. If people complain, they send Hunters to 'persuade' them to stop."

"They can't be all bad," Touma protested. "All groups have a wide variety of individuals."

"Can't say I met many personally," Junior admitted and rubbed his chin. "But I know plenty who have. My bar was recently wrecked by a young Huntress with blonde hair not too long ago. I couldn't help her find someone and she flipped out, attacked everyone, and left my place a wreck. Took weeks to repair it." He sighed. "She joined Beacon Academy, the school for Hunters. Nothing happened to her and security won't touch her."

"What?" Touma was shocked. "She wrecked your entire bar?"

"You underestimate Aura," Roman piped up. "It makes Hunters monsterlike to normal people."

"So you weren't exaggerating when you told me about them," Touma muttered dryly.

"I didn't tell you about the more extreme cases," Roman informed him. "You know, the ones that ended with a lot of deaths." Touma gulped. "You see why we don't go out in the open much." Touma nodded in agreement. "Well, now that Junior is searching for your companions," Roman said brightly and clapped his hands together. "We must be on our way. Many things to do. Good to see you again."

"Same," grunted Junior untruthfully.

Roman led them out of the club and Touma felt someone grip his arm tightly. Neo had appeared next to him and seemed keen on not letting him go. Touma was a little surprised at the action, but decided not to comment on it or she might embarrass him again. He didn't see Neo turn around and make a rude gesture to the twins, who returned the favor. Junior only stood there and watched the exchange between the girls.

 _I can't tell if that kid is incredibly lucky or unlucky._

* * *

Team JNPR's outburst caused everyone to jump.

"Be quiet!" Weiss snapped at all of them. "You are going to attract attention!"

"Hello, MISAKA says as MISAKA greets the new arrivals."

"Where did you find her?!" gasped Pyrrha. They completely overlooked Last Order's unusual way of talking because of shock. "We looked everywhere for her."

"Huh?" Ruby asked confused. "We met her in town while shopping. Why were you looking for her? Do you know her?"

"We found someone-…," Jaune tried to explain, but Nora couldn't hold it in any longer.

"She's so cute!" Nora shouted and was a blur as she rushed over to Last Order. She picked up Last Order from Weiss's grasp into a huge hug. "Where were you!? How old are you!? Do you like pancakes!? How many sloths have you seen!?"

"Nora," Ren said firmly. "Let her go so she can breathe." Nora looked down and saw Last Order squirming around in her iron clutches. Nora blinked and let her fall back onto the bed.

"Phew! MISAKA gasps as MISAKA comes back from seeing a bright light."

"Be careful, you Neanderthal," Weiss reprimanded Nora. "She doesn't have an aura. You could have broken her bones."

"Hehe," Nora giggled innocently. "Sorry."

"So what were you trying to say?" Yang asked Jaune. "You guys were looking for her? And how does that involve a flying Ursa?"

"We found a boy with white hair who was looking for her," Jaune told her. "He was fighting a pack of Grimm."

"You found Accelerator? MISAKA asks wildly as MISAKA jumps to her feet." She rushed over to him and slammed into him. With her arms gripping Jaune's shirt, she looked up at him with big eyes. "Please tell MISAKA were he is MISAKA begs as MISAKA uses her secret weapon." Her eyes teared up slightly and her sad look struck Jaune directly. Even being used to seven sisters, this girl was a master at the craft.

"Ruby," Jaune said weakly. "I think she beat your puppy dog eyes." He had to look away because of its intensity.

"No way!"

"Let me see," Yang demanded and scooted over next to him. "It's so bright! I can't look at it directly without wanting to scoop her up in a hug! Ruby, she has you beat." Everyone else laughed at Ruby's pout that followed Yang's statement.

"I promise to tell you everything," Jaune told Last Order. "And an Arc never goes back on his word, but I'm hoping you can explain a few things to us too." He realized he never introduced himself. "My name is Jaune Arc by the way and this is Pyrrha Nikos." He gestured to her and she nodded while smiling kindly at the girl. "The girl that nearly crushed you is Nora Valkyrie." Nora waved excitedly. "And the silent one in green is Lie Ren." Ren nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"MISAKA's name is Last Order MISAKA introduces herself." Jaune and the others finally realized her strange way of talking, but they were used to Nora's antics, so no one mentioned it. Last Order frowned when she stared up to him. "Are you _the Arc_ who confessed to Weiss? Misaka asks curiously." Jaune coughed loudly and Yang burst out laughing. "She will accept your presence if you stop doing it MISAKA tries to help out." Jaune felt his ears burn and now Pyrrha and Ruby was giggling, Nora was laughing as loud as Yang, Ren was silent but looked amused, and Weiss face palmed.

"I will remember that," Jaune finally answered.

"Make sure you do," Weiss called over.

"I'm sure you are worried about your friend," Pyrrha said politely and knelt down next to Last Order, who nodded. "He was worried about you too when he couldn't locate you."

"We looked all over Vale," Ruby told Pyrrha. "And we couldn't find him."

"He wasn't in Vale," she replied. "We found him in the Emerald Forest. That's where he was fighting the Grimm."

"Grimm?" Last Order looked confused.

"Big monsters," Nora answered and stretched out her arms as wide as they would go. "We are Hunters and we destroy them."

"And how did the flying Ursa Nora mentioned get involved," Yang asked. "That's what I want to hear about."

"Here's what happened when we went with Professor Port into the Emerald Forest…" Jaune started off explaining how they weren't able to locate any Grimm at first, which forced them to go deeper into the forest. Then an Ursa came flying down at them and crashed into the ground. After inspecting it, they decided to investigate in case something even more dangerous was nearby. Beacon had to be warned if an enemy could throw Grimm around a mile. They followed the trail and heard fighting. The boy, who Last Order had called Accelerator, was fighting a close to twenty Grimm. "When a couple Beowolves touched him, their bones seemed to break and then he ripped the arm of an Ursa, before throwing it and spearing another. With barely a tap of his hand, the one he had injured was sent flying into a tree."

"For a second I thought that would be a _Grimm_ situation," Yang interrupted.

"No!" most of her friends shouted.

"That's him MISAKA confirms."

"So he has some king strengthening Semblance?" Weiss asked. "Increase muscle mass and skin hardening?"

"He didn't have a Semblance," Ren told her.

"What?!" Yang, Weiss, and Ruby gasped.

"His aura was never unlocked," Pyrrha elaborated. "So he couldn't be using a Semblance. We aren't sure how he could do what he did." To her surprise, Weiss, Ruby, and Yang all shared a knowing look. "Am I missing something?"

"Last Order here," Ruby explained. "Can use electricity without having her Aura unlocked."

"MISAKA is an Electromaster MISAKA declares as MISAKA shows off her power." A few bluish-white sparks appeared around her head.

"Sweet!" Nora exclaimed and bounded over to her. "Quick, shock me with everything you have!"

"No!" Ren's loud voice actually caused everyone to turn toward him in surprise. "Do not shock her. Nora's Semblance allows her to turn electricity into power. If you shock her, she will go on a rampage inside the school."

"Can we do it outside the school then, Ren?" Nora asked innocently, but didn't fool anyone.

"Maybe tomorrow if there is time and she's willing," Ren sighed. Once Nora got an idea, there was no stopping her.

"MISAKA wants to see MISAKA says eagerly. So Nora is like a giant battery with her ability? MISAKA asks." Nora grinned, gave her a thumbs up, and then hugged her tightly.

"Can we keep her Ren?" Nora asked hopefully. "She's so adorable, almost as much as a sloth."

"No."

"Do you think if we hide in Vale while this is happening we can avoid repercussions?" Jaune whispered to Pyrrha. She giggled, but then shrugged.

"So Accelerator and Last Order both have strange powers without Semblances," Yang said. "How is that possible? What is Accelerator's power anyways?"

"He can control the vector of anything he touches MISAKA explains as MISAKA puffs out her chest in importance."

"Vectors?" Ruby, Nora, Jaune, and Yang all looked confused.

"Are you all kids?" Weiss sighed. "Vectors are a quantity that has both magnitude and direction. Everything has vectors, even if standing still. For example, mass is a magnitude and movement adds a direction."

"That actually explains it," Ren muttered. "When the Grimm touched him, he could change the direction of their attacks. The sudden directional change of force would most likely cause their bones to break."

"Yep, MISAKA says proudly as MISAKA is amazed at Ren's deductive reasoning."

"That still doesn't explain how those two use these powers without their Aura," Ruby pointed out and flopped down on the bed next to Weiss. "Wait, if you guys found him, where is he now?"

"Medical bay," Jaune answered.

"What?! MISAKA asks in shock."

"You better explain fast Arc," Weiss told him. "Or she might start crying."

"He collapsed shortly after we found him," Jaune explained. "We took out the remaining Grimm and then Nora and I brought him back here, while Pyrrha and Ren searched the area for Last Order. His last words were for us to find her." He frowned. "I don't know why he collapsed though. He didn't appear injured."

"The Network slowly vanished, MISAKA whispers to herself. It was getting weaker and MISAKA can't contact the others. MISAKA did not think this was possible MISAKA continues as MISAKA experiences a sense of dread." She looked up when she noticed everyone staring at her. "Yes?"

"Network?" Yang asked.

"MISAKA never mentioned a network, MISAKA lies quickly. MISAKA has no knowledge of classified information."

 _She's definitely hiding something important,_ Weiss thought. Weiss was used to her sister saying she couldn't explain things because they were classified, but she was better at hiding that information. Last Order kept mentioning things she obviously was told not to. _I think she's involved in a high security project, which would explain their power, but which kingdom?_ She didn't like the fact a little girl was being experimented on.

"We thought she was in trouble with a gang or something," Ruby whispered to Jaune and Pyrrha. "So we brought her here to talk to Ozpin and keep her safe."

"Good call," Jaune whispered. "She seems a tad…off, but otherwise a normal little girl."

"She seems nice," Pyrrha added. "You don't see a lot of people who can get along with Weiss so quickly."

"She said Weiss reminded her of Accelerator," Ruby whispered with a grin.

"Their hair color is pretty similar," Jaune admitted. "And he was a little brash, with the few words he managed to say." He turned to Last Order. "There were no external injuries we saw and Beacon's medical staff has him. They are the best around. He is in good hands and I'm sure we will be notified when he wakes up." She still looked uneasy, like she wanted to say something, but knew she couldn't. Jaune's younger sisters showed him that expression many times. "If you can't talk about something, we understand, but if you need to, you can come to any of us."

"Thank you, MISAKA whispers."

"We would still like you to meet our headmaster," Ruby added. "If anyone can help you and Accelerator, it will be him."

"MISAKA appreciates all the help MISAKA says in gratitude. Can we rest a little bit first before heading to see this Ozpin? MISAKA asks as MISAKA's feet still hurt."

"Sure," Weiss told her and Last Order beamed at her. She sat down next to Weiss and laid her head in Weiss's lap. "Let us know when you feel up to it."

"Wow!" Nora gasped. "Ren, something is wrong with Weiss. She's actually like Pyrrha does with Jaune!" A small smirk formed on Ren's face.

"What?!" Yang and Ruby rounded on her. "When did she give him a lap pillow?"

"That's not what she meant," Pyrrha explained, but her face turned red. "Right Nora?"

"Nora has her own way of explaining things," Jaune added quickly.

"Well they are acting so friendly with each other," Nora pointed out. "And get close without any issue. Weiss doesn't normally act like that. She always snaps at me."

"Because you yell and break things," Weiss explained calmly.

"They were interested because you implied they were together-together," Ren told her.

"Oh." It dawned on Nora. "They aren't together-together, just together." She leaned over to Ren and whispered. "I think?" He nodded.

"Neither of them have taken the next step," he whispered back so the others couldn't hear.

"So where are you from Last Order?" Pyrrha asked quickly to change the topic.

"Academy City MISAKA replies."

"Never heard of it," Pyrrha mumbled.

"Me either," Yang whispered back. "It might be a city outside of the four kingdoms. If they have people who can wield power like those two, that might be why they can remain hidden."

"Does everyone in Academy City have powers like you?" Ruby asked excitedly.

"Not everyone, MISAKA admits. There are all different kinds and different levels. The scale goes from level 0 to 5. MISAKA is level 3, while Accelerator is the strongest Level 5."

"That sounds awesome!" Ruby cried and waved her arms. "I totally want to visit sometime."

"MISAKA will definitely show you around MISAKA promises as MISAKA imitates Ruby's actions."

"Isn't she nice?" Weiss asked tenderly.

"Who are you and what have you done with Snow Angel?" Jaune asked. She responded by throwing a pillow into his face.

"I was surprised at how motherly Weiss got around her too," Yang said after a short laugh. "Last Order melted her _Weiss_ cold heart." Several people booed, but there was one short laugh.

"Did… she just laugh at Yang's joke?" Ren asked. Nora, Pyrrha, and Jaune only stared.

"Yang wanted to kidnap and keep her," Ruby told them worriedly. "And that was after we put up with her horrible electrical puns all day."

"I'm _shocked_ you think so little of my jokes," Yang said and pretended to be hurt.

"That pun was pretty re-volt-ing," Jaune pipped up. There was only silence.

"I'm _stunned_ at how bad that was Vomit Boy," Yang told him.

"I realized my mistake into getting in this kind of argument with you," Jaune sighed. "It was an _illuminating_ experience." There were some more groans. "I'm out."

"Leave the jokes to the professionals," Yang said triumphantly amid more groans.

"I'll let you know when they get here," Jaune replied. "You need some lessons." Yang raised an eyebrow and then they high fived. Yang could appreciate a little back and forth banter. Last Order was the only one who giggled during their debate.

"You will do better next time," Pyrrha told him, while she patted his shoulder. She tried to be encouraging, but her eyes told him that his jokes weren't funny.

"Can we keep Last Order?" Nora asked. "Yang and I can take turns taking care of her. We can walk her, feed her pancakes, and play with her!"

"MISAKA likes pancakes."

"I love her!" Nora declared. "We have to keep her."

"We can't _keep_ a person Nora," Ren tried to tell her.

"If we are careful," Yang added eagerly. "We could totally keep her our little secret."

"Yes!" Nora cheered. "If one room is being inspected by a professor, we can hide her in the other!" She and Yang high fived each other.

"Oh no," Jaune groaned. "They are teaming up. Ren, Ruby, do something!"

"Why us?" Ruby whined.

"Ren is the only one who can control Nora and you are Yang's team leader and sister."

"Not much I can do at this point," Ren sighed. "She's seems pretty set on this."

"Yang!" Ruby said, trying to make her voice sound commanding, but it was kind of cute in its own way. "You can't keep her. We have to take her to Ozpin."

"When her friend wakes up," Yang told her dismissively. She and Nora were whispering excitedly about future plans with Last Order.

"Weiss!" Ruby called out and waved her arms franticly. "A little help?" Weiss looked at her, and then at Yang and Nora, who could not be up to anything good. Her eyes then flickered to the girl lying in her lap, with her eyes closing sleepily.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt for her to stay a little bit," Weiss finally murmured.

"What happened to my partner who got mad at me for breaking even the most obscure rule!?" Ruby demanded.

"Shush," Weiss said and help a finger up to her lips. "She's fallen asleep." She gestured to Last Order.

"Blake," Ruby virtually cried. "Come back. I need a voice of reason."

"Last Order certainly has a way with people," Pyrrha commented to Ren and Jaune. "I rarely see someone who gets along with such a wide variety of people so fast."

"I don't know if I should be amazed or worried," Ren added. "Nora is not going to stop until she sees how much electricity Last Order can produce."

"She reminds me of my youngest sister," Jaune laughed. "No matter what she does, you can never really get mad at her." His only worry was if they were alike, Last Order would be way too trusting of people. Some people might try to use that to their advantage. "Now, our next question is how are we going to get our friends to agree to let her meet Ozpin?"

Neither Ren or Pyrrha could answer him.

* * *

"Okay everyone," Roman said, while he stood in front of several large crates. "Time is of the essence and we need to get this dust loaded." Several men and women were stacking boxes and slipping them into more crates. Each of them wore a mask, which resembled the bone-like coverings on the faces of the Grimm. They were also wearing similar uniforms, grey vests over a black shirt, black gloves, and black pants. A darker grey line traveled down the center of the vest, except when it moved around a few red dots at right angles. If it were not for the visible animal appendages, such as ears, tales, or antlers, Touma would not have been able to tell they were all Faunus.

"I feel bad we aren't doing anything," Touma whispered to Neo. While Roman was busy talking and directing the White Fang members, Neo had pulled Touma over to a couple empty boxes they could sit on and wait. He saw the members throw occasional looks his way, but they quickly turned away after a second or two. Touma frowned, because he couldn't really tell if they were staring at him because of their masks.

' _You are a guest and our job will be to help protect the delivery when we exit the city.'_ Neo typed on her Scroll and held it up for him. _'We save their lives, so they help out by acting as loaders.'_

"I suppose," Touma admitted and rubbed his chin. "Didn't you say dust is explosive? Is it wise to keep so much stored in confined crates?"

' _We can hardly rent out several warehouses and store crystals and dusts individually. It's only temporary anyways, and we make sure to pack them properly. We need every bit we can deliver.'_

"So we are taking a few trucks outside the city and then a couple of… bullheads?" Neo nodded. "Will pick the shipment up and deliver it where it is needed?" Neo nodded again. "Why do we have to travel out into Grimm territory to do so?"

"Because," Roman answered, as he moseyed over to them. "Vale defines our help as illegal." He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "We recently tried not to long ago at the docks with a delivery. A couple Hunters found out and nearly killed my men. Now, security is rather high for unauthorized air travel. Until the heat dies down, it's actually safer to have the drop-offs outside the walls. Neo is pretty good at keeping Grimm off us and we have weapons for the purpose of killing them too. Our world is not very forgiving for the unprepared." Neo beamed at his praise and leaned up against Touma, which caused him to glow red.

' _I can beat up a small army of Grimm by myself.'_ She bragged.

"I'm not sure if I want to see you in action or not," Touma admitted.

' _Aww, you know you won't be able to keep your eyes off me.'_ She laughed and winked at him.

"You are going to make me hurl Neo," Roman groaned. "I need to talk to your privately for a bit, so I'm going to have to draw you away from your boy for a few minutes." His voice slowly grew in volume on purpose. Neo and Touma noticed several of the White Fang members turn to look at them. They must have been surprised because most had stopped working. Neo's eyes narrowed and they quickly started moving again. Roman noticed and grinned. "Try not to distract them, kid," he told Touma. "I don't want a repeat of Junior's bar."

"I didn't do anything," Touma protested and Roman laughed.

"Sure you didn't," he said with a wink. "I didn't know you had a way with the ladies." Neo frowned and kicked him in the butt a lot harder than she normally would have. The force sent Roman flying several feet, but he remained standing. Roman scowled at Neo and turned, while gesturing at her to hurry up. Neo nodded and followed but turned around and shrugged at Touma. Then she motioned for Touma to stay until she returned. As soon as Roman and Neo were out of sight, nearly every other head turned toward Touma. Sweat formed on his brow under their stares. He did the only thing he could do and shrugged at them. The workers went back to packing, but they kept looking at him way more than they needed.

Without anything to do, Touma's eyes began to wonder. The warehouse was devoid of anything to make it stand out, since the operations were strictly under the table. It was only logical his eyes would eventually fall back onto the members of the White Fang. Touma didn't know much about them except they were a group that protested for Faunus rights. Most of the dust was going to cities primarily dominated by Faunus, though the humans there would not be discriminated against. The disguises they wore, which made them all look similar, prevented him from gleaming much about them. Though, he found himself constantly looking at one in particular.

The member was female with long black hair who seemed to be working more in the back, away from were Roman had been directing others. Touma's eyes traveled down. For some reason, her clothes seemed to be a little tighter than the others, like they didn't fit right, but they only added to her charm. Her curves were highlighted by the form fitting outfit and Touma was a teenage boy. It was hard to tell because of the mask, but she couldn't be that much older than him. The skin he could see on her was fair, but his eyes then traveled to a trait he was not used to seeing back home. There was a pair of black cat ears on her head. They twitched occasionally when someone spoke near her. The girl turned toward him and he diverted his eyes immediately. He didn't want her to think he was ogling her. He waited a few moments and nonchalantly glanced over.

She was still watching him.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 _Omake:_

People screaming followed by the sound of breaking wood and glass caused Roman and Junior to end their meeting early. They rushed out of the office and headed to the bar and dance floor. Pure pandemonium filled the room. People were rushing out of the club through any means necessary, though a couple drunk people stood near the wall and cheered. In the middle of the dance floor, three girls were fighting what appeared to be a life or death struggle. Neo was facing off against twins, one in a red dress and one in a white dress. The girl in the red dress was using a pair of claw like weapons, while her twin in white used sharpened heals. Neo was fending off both of them using her parasol. She landed a kick into the girl in red, which send her flying into a table. The girl in white managed to land her own kick and Neo crashed into a chair.

"MY CLUB!" Junior yelled. "NOT AGAIN!"

"KID!" Roman seethed and looked around for Touma. "Where are you?!"

"Over here!" Touma called back and waved. He was still at the bar and had several tall glasses. Roman and Junior marched over to him, knowing they could not stop the girls with their skills. The smell of alcohol was overpowering as Touma drained one of the glasses.

"What the hell happened?!" Roman demanded.

"Those two girls came over and started talking to me," Touma sighed and set down his glass. "I tried to be polite, but they were rather insistent about dancing. Neo grew tried with them and started arguing, but they wouldn't leave." He picked up another glass. "Then the fight started." His head slammed onto the bar table.

"Why didn't you stop them?!" Junior demanded.

"Because I found out through experience if I get involved it only gets worse," Touma muttered. "It will end with me tied to a chair and twenty girls fighting to the death. I can't take it anymore." He sat up, wobbled, and drained another glass.

"That's it," Roman said in defeat and threw his hands into the air. "I'm leaving this madness before I go insane." He left the club before either of them could say anything else.

"At least blondie isn't here," Junior sighed. "My bar wouldn't survive otherwise."

"You called?" Junior spun around and saw a tall girl with a great deal of long yellow hair.

"You!" he spat out.

"Me," Yang confirmed and looked at the fight. "Now this is what I call a club. Get a couple Strawberry Sunrises, no ice, ready." Her gloves cocked and she banged them together. "I'm going to work up a thirst." She jumped into the fray.

Junior's bar burned down that night.


	5. Curiosity

**I think it's about time to see what happened to Blake. Yang liked to believe she was hanging out with Sun, but is life ever that simple? This chapter is going to divert a good part of what happened to her and the fun adventure she experienced. Curiosity can be a dangerous thing when you throw caution to the wind. In fact, what do they say about it and a cat? I'm sure that has nothing to do with the name of this chapter. I also had some discussions with a few people about Weiss X Accelerator shipping. A friend and I came up with a great name, because you know in RWBY you have to have a ship name. I'm interested in knowing what people think of it. The ship name is: Cold and Calculating. Not sure if it will be a real thing, but it's kind of funny imagining those two together. Now I just need to find cover art of those two.**

 **General soto: Not sure if I'm too drunk to understand this or not drunk enough.**

 **Dead Salvation: So far this story is heading in a direction I enjoy. It looks like I will be continuing it for a while.**

 **Nyanihyon: He can be tough to balance in fights. Though, his personality is fun to write about.**

 **The Rupture: Does all dust work the same way though? Or will a specific kind of dust be different from the next? I can see powers generated by Semblance work normally, but then there could be some really weird ones that defy normal physics. Something that may control time, might not have vectors to manipulate.**

 **WiliamZ0: Well, Last Order isn't used to Touma being around a lot, so once she finds Accelerator, she probably doesn't have to worry about him. Accelerator might remember Touma was there. She was vaguely there, so she might pass the fight on the roof as a dream. Kamijou does need a nice animal girl in his harem.**

 **RPGPersona: Always happy to see your comments. Video games, ignoring your skills in real life. I was going to blame Canadians, but too many other stories beat me to it. I seriously considered the mini Blake route but eventually figured Coco would easily have an extra luggage case for transport. Neo works hard, she deserves to kick back and relax. You noticed something important about Uncle Drunk. The best lies will always have a hint of truth to them. People will believe something if they can recognize something true. Last Order meeting everyone was hilarious. She's going to ask innocent questions that embarrass people all the time. Jaune's relationship status is more fun to watch than any TV show. You hit the mail on the head. Get Last Order to agree and Accelerator will have no choice but to follow. Yang will NEVER forget!**

 **shiroryuu01: Oh, I'm sure Aleister will care greatly. Not sure if anyone else will make an appearance except to maybe get them home. Or I'll drop Misaka, because why not have a girl younger than Ruby who can create thunderstorms.**

 **Guest: 1) Sure did. 2) Sometimes cheek kisses can be for the shy girls. 3) He learned better. Though, given time, he would eventually end up with all of them. 4) Nope, still haven't. 5) You might be free to post (F2p) and reached your annual limit. I recommend upgrading the premium status at a low price of $9.99 and your firstborn.**

 **Brosephg: Took your time, but catching up on the RWBY series probably delayed it a bit. Your hints at trying to bring in WoW and other fanfics into this is weak. Step up your game.**

 **Thelaststerling: Cold and Calculating shall thrive.**

 **legacy30: After this chapter, it will be shown he's questioning things now. Oh, the illusion breaking moment will definitely occur. Touma has been used so many times, but he will EVENTUALLY realize it and do something to fix his mistake. That is a given.**

 **Guest: We know that, but Touma's hand would negate Qrow's bad luck. Thus, for the first time, Touma makes good luck.**

 **Kuvukiland: I usually write what I feel like writing, which allows me to continue to put out better stuff than if I forced myself to write something I hated. This crossover is really fun, which is why I have been doing it a lot more recently. IP is still coming out and I plan to continue with it, though updates will be a little slower since I spend time on this. This is all stuff I do as a hobby, so time is limited.**

 **AltEden: Depends if he can touch her before she punches him. The situation will arise if Ruby happens to fall for him.**

 **Zeti: Pssh, Roman and Neo are heroes. I'm just imagining Team RWBY's reaction to Accelerator's mouth and Last Order reprimanding him. Ruby introduces the Swear Jar and Last Order makes enough money to buy a new video game.**

 **Rakkis157: Focusing on the combat types gets boring after a while. The Earth/Remnant is going to trip me up a lot, I can feel it. Some characters say one and some say the other. Funny enough, someone got upset when I used Oum in an earlier chapter. Will see what I prefer as I go on. Not sure how many OCs will be, except for background ones as needed and a possible villain. Next chapter after this one will have some of Touma's thoughts. Spoiler: It was Aleister because I thought, hey, two smart people interested in learning would totally do something like that. Weiss meeting Accelerator is going to be an interesting development.**

 **jordanlink7856: Pray it doesn't evolve to affect men.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

 _Has my cover been blown?_

Blake Belladonna had not intended to find herself in this position, when she had left the rest of Team RWBY. Classes had been canceled yesterday due to Nora thinking it was a smart idea to hit a pile of dust with her hammer, so Blake took the opportunity of having the rest of her day free to visit a new bookstore that had opened up. She had been captivated by one section in particular. Yang kept making fun of her favorite genre by calling it smut, not matter how many times Blake corrected her and explained it was adult romance literature. The store had all her favorite series, Including Ninjas of Love, but there were also many series she hadn't heard of. She spent the rest of the evening browsing the selections and left with several new books. Because of how much she enjoyed reading, she didn't notice the time.

The last bullhead back to Beacon had left over half an hour ago.

Blake mentally berated herself, but there really wasn't much she could do at this point. It was getting pretty late, so she did the next responsible thing. She texted her partner Yang about missing the last bullhead and was going to spend the night in Vale. A quick stop at a clothing store let her buy a pair of pants and shirt to use as sleeping apparel. Blake then proceeded to a cheap inn and rent out a room for the night. The room was small sure, but it had a cozy feel for her. She didn't even turn on the TV and immediately curled up on the bed and took out a book. It was her favorite pastime and she could get lost forever while reading, at least until she reached the end of the book or was interrupted. Her Scroll beeped right when she turned a page and saw a reply from Yang.

 _Thanks for the update kitty cat. I'll let the others know. Have fun with Sun and don't forget protection._

Blake groaned and put her phone away. She had never mentioned Sun in any way and knew Yang only mentioned him to rile her up. She loved Yang like family, but it was exhausting being her friend. Yang had not treated her any differently when she found out Blake was a Faunus. Her black bow on her head hid her cat ears normally, but in the private hotel room she had removed it. Though, Yang made a lot more cat puns around her. Weiss and Ruby were also accepting of her, after the initial shock on Weiss's part, and Blake appreciated their friendship greatly. It was still tiring to hear them argue constantly. Ruby was very hyper and disorganized, while Weiss liked things proper and preferred a quieter atmosphere. They were like oil and water, but somehow managed to put their differences aside and become friends. Blake still got frazzled when her friends dragged her into their antics, and she appreciated the few times she was able to enjoy peace and quiet, but she wouldn't trade them for anything.

The next morning, she woke up later than she wanted, but earlier then a normal person would have. Her new books kept her up late. She was about to leave the inn, when she heard a couple people talking. She wouldn't have normally stopped, but a couple words caused her to freeze.

"…Fang operation."

"Looks like it's only transportation this time."

 _What should I do?_ Blake thought. This was the reason Weiss had been angry at her when her friends discovered she was a Faunus. They found out she had been formally part of the White Fang, a terrorist group that fought for Faunus's rights. Blake had left before the violence really escalated and they were more of a protest group, but many people did not see it that way. Weiss finally accepted Blake had left, but Blake had to promise she would come to her teammates if something came up with the White Fang again. She was at the front desk about to check out. If she tried to talk to her team first, she might lose this trail on the White Fang activity. Blake sighed and felt guilty for what she was going to do. _I promise this is only a scouting mission and I won't fight._ She pretended to leave and go about her business, but stayed close to the Faunus group and kept listening.

From what they discussed, an emergency order had come through and all available members needed to be there. The three talking about their plan must have been new recruits, or they would have at least made sure no one else was listening in. Blake didn't have much time and ducked down a side street. She found a deserted alleyway and used her phone to call her locker. The school might be a little upset with her, but if she reimbursed the dust used on the rockets, she could escape most punishment. All she did was stored her goods, grabbed her weapon, and sent the locker back. The group was going to meet in less than thirty minute, so there was no time to contact her team.

From that point, it had been easy enough to slip in with the others. A few other people had joined ahead of her and she heard them mutter a password with her enhanced Faunus hearing. The group made their way into an area of Vale filled with storage buildings. She walked up behind the last member and gave the password to the two large male Faunus standing guard outside a building. She entered the building without any trouble and stood with the others. Time moved slowly and only small talk passed the time. Eventually, a small alarm beeped and a wall slid back to reveal a couple hidden lockers. The lockers were full of White Fang uniforms. It seemed like everyone knew which one was theirs. Once they grabbed their uniform, girls went into one room and males went into another.

Blake had been forced to knock out a straggler and take the unfortunate female dog Faunus' clothes.

They were a little tight because the girl was slightly smaller than her, but the clothes fit reasonably well. She used her old clothes and tied up the girl, before hiding her in a side room. Blake figured she would be found that night, but it would be far too late for her to stop Blake's scouting mission. Plus, no one would know who had knocked the girl out. Blake followed the rest of the White Fang Members into the back of a delivery truck and then traveled to an unknown location. Everything was going perfectly until she saw him.

Roman Torchwick.

Blake was forced to hide behind the other White Fang members to avoid being spotted. Luckily, Roman didn't seem to be worried about bossing them around and left that to a few higher ranking members. They were the ones he was yelling at. All she had to do was load dust and crystals into crates, while keeping an ear out on conversations. None of the White Fang members knew what they were doing with the crates. It was mostly angry muttering about how they were working with a human. There were a few warnings passed around from a couple of members about the little girl traveling with Roman. From what Blake could tell, the pink, white and brown girl was an experienced fighter and older than she looked. The girl may have looked cute and defenseless, but the way she held herself warned Blake she was indeed a fighter. Then she, and several others, received a shock. The girl, Neo, was with a boy that couldn't be any older than Blake. Okay, that wasn't a huge shock to a couple of the White Fang, it was really just the boy himself.

 _He had no aura._

Blake wasn't the only one who was caught staring, some of the other White Fang had unlocked their Auras too. Roman actually had to snap at them all to get back to work. The only explanation they received was the boy was going to act as protection and they were not to bother him because he was dangerous. Blake kept running through all the possibilities in her mind while she worked. _The only things without aura are Grimm and the nonliving, so how does he not have it?_ She could not draw attention to herself and kept loading the crates, while Roman and Neo left briefly. Everything was going fine, until she felt eyes watching her. Thanks to the mask she stole, she could see it was the boy without giving herself away. The boy may have been unaware he was staring, until she physically turned to look at him. The boy diverted his eyes, but she noticed they drifted back towards her.

 _Did he notice I'm not a normal member?_ she thought in panic. Her heart started pounding. This would be the terrible time to get recognized. She watched him closely, but the boy now tried to avoid eye contact, even if he was not very good at it. _Wait, could it possibly be something else?_ Besides not having an aura, Blake really couldn't tell for certain anything special about the boy. He seemed a little clueless about the operation, like he really didn't belong there. If Roman and Neo weren't treating him so well, she would have sworn he was a civilian. One interesting tidbit she did notice was the boy did not seem to have any hatred in his eyes when he looked at Faunus, there was only mild curiosity. _I wonder if he grew up in a town without Faunus. If he doesn't hate us, then that is probably why he is allowed here, but what is his real purpose?_ She never got her questioned answered by the time they finished loading all the dust. The large crates were put into a transport truck and three smaller trucks without roofs were parked next to it. The other transports were designed for loaded people to be able to fire guns from. _Are we going outside the walls? That's the only reason I can tell those would be needed. Covered transports work better inside the city._

"We are dividing our forces," a burly masked man, who Blake heard someone call Lieutenant, said. "You lot," he gestured to the White Fang on the right, "in that right truck, the others to the left. Guns are under the seat and further instructions will be announced before we leave the city."

 _So we are leaving,_ Blake thought in alarm. _This is bad._ If she was caught outside the walls of Vale, there was no way she could receive backup. _I should have let my friends know earlier, I made a mistake, even after I promised them._ She couldn't try running now because she would be surrounded in seconds, plus Roman and Neo were both dangerous enough by themselves. Blake had fought Roman once before and it was only thanks to Sun had she not been defeated. The only option available was to follow the others on her side. Once the trucks were loaded, they set out. Blake absentmindedly fidgeted with her issued dust rifle in hand. Her Hunter weapon, Gambol Shroud, was hanging on her hip. Sheathed, it looked just like a normal sword.

"Okay," one of the White Fang members said in front of them. He wasn't the Lieutenant, but one of the people relaying the orders. The Lieutenant sat in the front most truck of the convoy with Roman, while the boy and Neo were in the transport truck in the middle. The member talking held onto the driver's seat to stabilize himself. "Do not raise your head until we are out of the city." There was a pause as everyone lowered themselves in their seat. People on the ground would not be able to see the outfits. "Once we are pass the wall, there will be Grimm. Our orders are not to open fire."

"What?!" The collective gasp went out. Even Blake was surprised, though she remained quiet.

"I'm not sure on the specifics," the man admitted. "But supposedly they won't be an issue today."

"Why?" someone asked. "Grimm attack on sight!"

"I just told you I didn't know," the man snapped. "Listen, Roman Torchwick said, unless they get near the trucks, not to antagonize them. We aren't going that far out, but we would like to avoid Goliaths." A collective shudder went through the men as they imagined the large black Grimm resembling an elephant. Goliaths were very old Grimm and very powerful. Sniper shots would do little more than agitate them and they even showed slight signs of being intelligent. They have been known to congregate outside large cities, far enough away so they are not being attacked. "If they ran at the transports, fire at will."

"I feel like that human is going to get us all killed," a women muttered next to Blake.

"Why are we even following a human?" another asked.

"I asked the same question," the man laughed. "Adam is willing to work with him, to a degree, which says a lot." Blake froze and ice ran through her veins at the name. "He trusted the human enough to run the operations here without him, so that should say something too. Other humans don't like him either, so there is that." Blake gave a short sigh of relief that Adam was not present.

"Passing through the wall now," the driver said and everyone tightened their grips on their weapon.

The walls of Vale were guarded by many soldiers and automatic weapons to protect the kingdom. The turrets were set to fire at any Grimm approaching the city and troops patrolled the wall, along with security robots developed in Atlas. All gates were supposed to be heavily monitored, since they were the weakest points for Grimm to pass through. _We left the city far too easily,_ Blake though. _Even if it is just beginning to get dark, the soldiers should have checked our contents first. The Fang must have people on the inside who set this up._ Her suspicion was confirmed when one soldier with a short tufted tail waved down at them from the wall. Once they were away from the wall, they could all sit up and turned around to point their guns off into the distance. The formation was pretty standard, the two vehicles full of troops were on either side of the dust transport, with the vehicle Roman occupied was up front to lead the way.

"Grimm!" someone eventually yelled. Everyone raised their gun and it took a lot of determination to follow the orders and not fire. Beowolves and Ursai had begun to emerge from behind trees, abandoned buildings, and rocks as they drove. The howls and growls echoed all around them, so Blake assumed the other side was having the same type of luck. She could see at least thirty Grimm approaching from just their side and more were beginning to chase them. The trucks were moving fast, but nowhere near enough to outrun a Beowolf. A couple guns next to her lowered slightly.

"Why are they not approaching?" someone asked. Blake had the exact same question. Grimm would attack on sight and swarm small conveys like theirs without a thought of self-preservation. Her eyes narrowed under her mask as she took them in. The Grimm kept approaching them and then jumping back, as if they were touching an electric fence. This allowed the convoy to travel with impunity and much faster than normal.

 _Something is keeping them back,_ Blake thought to herself. _But what could it be?_ This was actually really interesting, but at the same time bad news. If Roman and the White Fang developed something that could repel Grimm, they could travel anywhere outside the city without fear. Tracking their operations would be almost impossible. Not only that, they might actually be able to use the repellent to push Grimm into areas with innocent people. _I'm glad I snuck in. This information has to be relayed._ Everyone stumbled when all the vehicles suddenly slowed down.

"Why are we-…?" the man in charge demanded, but his question was answered.

"GOLIATH!" the driver yelled.

Blake's eyes widened under her mask. The colossal Grimm stood in the middle of their path and towered over their transport. The tall trees nearby couldn't even reach its shoulders. It would be able to step on one of their vehicles and crush it into fine powder. _We are in so much trouble. It can take several hunter teams or a bombardment from a couple airships to take them down._ Blake's grip tightened on the gun in her hand, but her other hand reached down toward her sword. A single Goliath might be possible to take down, but not when surrounded by all the other Grimm. Besides Blake, Roman, Neo, and possibly the Lieutenant, the other members were normal people, even if a handful had Aura unlocked. The smart thing to do would be to turn around and retreat, but then a voice came on through the radio.

"Reduce speed to one-fourth and keep moving forward," Roman ordered.

"Are you nuts!?" another voice asked over the radio.

"Shut up and do it. Stay as close together as possible if you value your lives."

"He's going to get us all killed," someone moaned, as the vehicles slowed.

"This is what we get for listening to a human," the women next to Blake muttered. There were similar muttering all around them and everyone raised their weapons in preparation for the inevitable. Blake was thinking the exact same thing. She was prepared for all the Grimm to charge at the Goliath's signal and they would be a goner. However, the smaller Grimm still did not approach them. Then everyone saw a sight that made their jaws drop. Blake was no exception.

The Goliath backed off.

To Blake, it actually looked like the Goliath started to retreat backwards, but then realized their convoy was going in the same direction. It changed direction and back up at an angle, so they could pass it. A tree behind the Goliath was crushed by its weight as it made a clumsy turn. Blake had never seen a Grimm, let alone one of the older ones, act this way. Based on what they learned in school, Grimm would always press the attack. _This repellent of Roman's, how could it be so powerful? What is it? A new kind of dust?_ The convoy passed where the Goliath stood and Blake had a clear impression of it. The Goliath was standing with the other Grimm, staying around twenty meters or so away from them. The smaller ones kept chasing the convoy, but the Goliath did not. Blake frowned. _It's like it doesn't want to get involved._

The rest of the trip went smoothly.

"We are here," Roman announced over the radio and Blake saw their destination. It was a small plateau with a near vertical face on three sides. The only way up was an incline their convoy was traveling on. They reached the top and stopped. "Gather everyone around. I'll explain what happened and what we need to do next."

"About time," one person mumbled. However, after that earlier display, no one really felt like doubting Roman right now.

"I thought the man was crazy before," someone else said. "But now I think he's downright insane." There was a collective murmur among the rest of the group. From the way the White Fang members in the other vehicle were muttering among themselves, the feeling must have been mutual. Blake was lost in her thoughts, but constantly nodded and pretended to agree with the others. She had spent enough time with her team and could act like she was paying attention, even when they were doing something pointless.

 _I really shouldn't be out here in the open,_ Blake thought. _There is a good chance Roman will recognize me the longer I'm near him. It's a miracle he hasn't noticed me yet. Our fight at the docks didn't happen that long ago, but I have to know what Roman found that could make a Goliath retreat._ The need to know and, admittingly, her own curiosity, caused her to join with the others. She stayed in the back though. Roman strutted toward the group, with the Lieutenant, Neo, and the boy behind him.

"Well now," Roman announced confidently. "I didn't expect an actual Goliath, but everything worked out well, didn't it? Maybe you scrubs should learn not to question me, huh?"

"What the hell happened!?" a young woman called out and there was a murmur of agreement. "You told us not to fire, so you knew the Grimm would not bother us. Yet, you didn't tell us why."

"Calm yourself _dear_ ," Roman replied and Blake saw several people scowl. He must have chosen his words carefully to reference the woman's deer antlers. "I always have everything under control. As long as we stuck together, the Grimm can't touch us."

"How?!" the collective group asked.

"It's all thanks to my amazing assistant Neo," Roman answered and pointed to her. Neo responded by performing a curtsy, but her pompous expression revealed her true thoughts. _Admire me mortals._ "So I'll let her explain," Roman continued with amusement in his eyes. She responded by poking him in the side, hard. "Alright, alright, it was just a joke." He turned back to the White Fang members. "Neo was spending time outside Vale when she ran into this young man here." He gestured to Touma. "His name is Mr. Kamijou, address him with respect." Blake thought the boy looked kind of embarrassed at Roman's words. "And it was thanks to him that the Grimm won't bother us." Everyone started looking at each other and then at the boy. Confusion rang through the ranks. "It's going to be easier the show you instead of describing it." He turned to the boy next to him. "Care to show off your power?"

"Do I really have to?" Blake heard the nervousness in his voice, which contracted the confidence Roman exuded.

"You don't have to go all the way down," Roman reassured him. "Just enough to get them to move." The boy sighed and Blake, along with everyone else, watched him head toward the incline they had arrived on. About halfway down, there were around three to four dozen Beowolves, Ursai, and a couple Boarbatusk.

 _This is suicidal,_ Blake thought as she watched the boy began to descend, after a nudge from the end of Neo's parasol. The boy was pretty fit, but he was going up against a large number of Grimm without Aura, or even a weapon. Several others raised their weapons instinctively as they watched, waiting for the Grimm to assault their position. It didn't happen. In fact, the exact opposite occurred. As the boy descended, the Grimm began to retreat, some even stumbling over the ones behind them. It was like they were willing to do anything to avoid being near him. Grimm never acted this way. They did not retreat.

Blake did not have to continue acting anymore.

Her mouth fell open in surprise, along with everyone else's besides Roman and Neo.

"I-is this enough?" the boy called back over his shoulder at Roman.

"That's fine, lad. Come on, back up." Roman watched the boy sigh and ascend the incline, before he turned to face everyone else. Blake saw the Grimm move up the incline, but didn't ascend enough to be a threat to them yet. Roman tapped his cane on the ground, leaned on it, and then flicked his hat. "As you can see ladies and gentlemen, this young man here is powerful. Actually," he paused, "powerful doesn't begin to describe it. His power is in a league of its own, strong enough to strike fear into even the most fearsome of Grimm. Those common Grimm don't understand, but even they understand approaching him is suicidal. The Goliath had enough sense to not even bother us." He grinned. "This is why I wasn't worried our plans had to change." None of them knew the embellishment Roman was adding to his words.

"Why are you helping us?" a male called out to the boy. The boy was about to respond when Neo covered his mouth and held up her phone. Blake couldn't see what the girl was showing him, but the boy nodded in understanding. Roman answered instead.

"He comes from rather far away, a town where Faunus do not live." There was some angry muttering at this, but Roman was not perturbed. "Don't be like that and listen. Faunus had never lived there because the town had been founded many years ago by a small group of humans. When he left, he came to Vale, where Neo found him. The lad then found out how your kind has been treated. Hating the discrimination, he wanted to do something about it and that desire caused us to cross paths. Now, we have a way to fulfill our goals without worrying about the Grimm. We all benefit this way."

 _Except the people who get hurt by you and the radials,_ Blake thought bitterly. It still shocked her the White Fang would work for a human. What Roman said about the boy hating discrimination did stir some curiosity. It wasn't like she believed Roman, but many lies had a grain of truth. _If he really wanted to help Faunus, I bet Roman manipulated him about the situation. Hmm, he may not even know the truth about the White Fang if he came from a small town, but that seems pretty unlikely._ She inched around the back of the others members to get closer to the boy. She wanted a better view of him so she could figure out what he was.

"What are we doing out here?" someone called out to Roman.

"Not that it really matters," Roman responded and there was a slightly irritated note to his voice. "But plans changed. Instead of taking this shipment of dust and crystals to the usual spot, it's going to a secret location for a special project." Blake needed to learn more and she turned her attention back to him. "A couple Bullheads will arrive in," he glanced at his watch, "thirty minutes or so. When they land, you will load the crates onto them. Once they leave, we head back to Vale and act as if this never happened. A simple task." There was some muttering.

"Seems easier than some of our other robberies," a man near Blake whispered to another.

"Heh," the woman laughed. "Last dust store we robbed, a couple soldiers almost killed us."

"One last thing," Roman announced. "While many of you are new, there is something you should be aware of. Spies." He started pacing in front of them and sweat began to form on Blake's forehead. "With new members joining our cause every day, you must pay attention to those who attempt to infiltrate our ranks." He sighed and rubbed the side of his head. "It seems like a rat has burrowed into our midst." A grin formed on his face. "Well, not so much a rat, but a poor overconfident kitty."

His eyes darted straight toward Blake.

Blake responded instantly.

Moving so fast she was a blur, Blake appeared behind the boy Roman took so much pride in and held up her sword against his neck. "Don't move Roman," she ordered. "You don't want to force my hand." She was not going to hurt the boy, who might only be a pawn in Roman's schemes, but he was definitely valuable and Roman would not risk his life.

"Looks like the kitty has claws," Roman laughed. He seemed unperturbed at the recent development.

"You don't want to do this," the boy whispered. He was scared, that was obvious, but she sensed he had been in similar situations before and was prepared to try to talk her out of this. He didn't sound like a normal criminal, but appearances could be misleading.

"Quiet," she hissed back. "Do what I tell you and we can both get out of this alive." Blake turned her attention back to Roman. "You actually recognized me?"

"You think after your last action against us I would forget your face?" Roman mockingly asked. "Your form, weapon, and ears, it was obvious. Neo and I discussed when to confront you, but you seemed content about not letting anyone else know, so we waited until there was no place for you to run. All of us in front of you and a pack of Grimm behind. What are you going to do my little lost kitten?"

"He's going to assure my safety," Blake growled. "None of you fire or you might lose your Anti-Grimm Shield."

"Using the poor kid as a shield?" Roman asked curiously. "It seems you have become rather ruthless."

"I do what it takes to survive," Blake replied evenly. She felt the boy shift in her grasp and she tightened her grip.

"Will it be that easy?" Roman mused. "Hey lad, remember when you first met Neo? That would solve everything without a single shot." Blake was confused, but it didn't show, because she chose to keep her attention focused on Roman and Neo. The boy moved again and his hand touched the arm she was using to hold him against her.

The sound of breaking glass went off.

Blake was not prepared for the sudden change. There was no reason for her to believe such a thing was possible. Her Aura vanished in an instant. All the strength her body had been accustomed to over the years had disappeared. Her eyes widened in shock and she let out an involuntary noise that was a combination of a gasp and a hiss. She should have fallen unconscious if her Aura was weakened to this state, but the boy hadn't attacked her at all. Her disbelief lasted for only a second, but it was more than enough. A single pink, brown, and white blur appeared behind her as Blake tried to push herself off the boy.

A sharp blow hit Blake in the back of the head and everything went black.

* * *

Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, and Last Order sat across a table from Headmaster Ozpin in his office.

It had taken three hours to get Last Order away from their friends. Yang and Nora were pretty resistant to their efforts.

 _Three freaking hours._

"Professor," Ruby said. "This is Last Order, the friend of the guy Jaune's team found."

"Good evening," Ozpin spoke to Last Order. "I am Professor Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Hello, MISAKA greets. What is the status on Accelerator? MISAKA asks urgently as MISAKA is deeply worried about him."

"He is recovering as we speak," Ozpin informed her gently. "Our analysis of his injuries showed he had received extensive damage to his brain and our medics are in the process of trying to heal him with dust. I am surprised he has such an injury when Mr. Arc informed us he did take any noticeable attacks from Grimm."

"It's an old wound he received when he defended MISAKA, MISAKA explains quickly. How are you healing brain damage anyways? MISAKA asks. Even our city's best scientists could only find a workaround by adding processing power from external sources."

"Is that what the choker was for?" Ruby and Jaune looked at each other in confusion.

 _Choker?_ Ruby mouthed and Jaune could only shrug.

"You removed the choker?! MISAKA asks wildly as MISAKA waves her arms to express the seriousness of the situation. He needs it to connect to the network!"

"This network you are referring to," Ozpin prodded. "Could you tell me more about it?"

"MISAKA… is not allowed to talk about classified information MISAKA admits."

"I see." Ozpin crossed his fingers. "Based on our examination, we found his choker was designed to receive a signal, but was not receiving anything at the time. Miss Order, would you be able to tell me if this network is still running?"

"It's not."

"As I thought." Ozpin leaned back in his chair. "Miss Rose, Mr. Arc, do you know why I only allowed you two to accompany us in this meeting instead of both of your teams?"

"Because Nora and Yang would interrupt a lot?" Jaune asked.

"Because we are the leaders of the team and you want to discuss something important?" Ruby guessed.

"Both of you are correct in a sense," Ozpin said with a small smile. "The nature of our discussion and about Miss Order's predicament is of a sensitive nature. Having some of your more… enthusiastic teammates here will slow down this conversation. You may tell your teammates what we are going to discuss, but I must insist you keep this information between only them. Do you understand?" Jaune, Ruby, and even Last Order agreed. "Thank you for understanding and everything will make sense in a moment." He turned to Last Order. "When did you arrive in our city?"

"This morning."

"Can you tell me where you are from?"

"Academy City."

"And where is that located?"

"Japan."

"What planet is that on?"

"Earth, MISAKA says with a giggle at the strange question."

"She's an alien?!" Ruby and Jaune shouted in shock.

"No, no." Ozpin calmed them down with a shake of his head. "It's a little more complicated than that. Miss Order, you are currently on the planet we call Remnant."

"Remnant? MISAKA asks confused. MISAKA never heard of it."

"I doubt you would have, as Earth and Remnant are from two separate planes of existence." There was silence for a moment as the others processed it.

"WHAT?!" Ruby and Jaune couldn't contain their shock.

"You mean Last Order isn't from our universe?" Jaune asked to clarify and Ozpin nodded. He slumped back in his seat. "Reminds me of one of my comics when X-ray and Vav traveled into a reverse world were everything was the opposite."

"Oh!" Ruby exclaimed. "Is there an opposite of me in your world, Last Order?"

"MISAKA does not know anyone by the name of Ruby in Academy City MISAKA apologizes. But MISAKA also does not know everyone."

"Aww."

"It's not as simple as that Mr. Arc," Ozpin explained. "There could be countless worlds parallel to ours, each unique or possibly just slightly different than ours." He saw the shocked faces of Ruby and Jaune. "I was once like you two. The reason I know this is because many years ago, I met someone who claimed to be from another world."

"Really?" Ruby asked. "That's so cool. What was he like?"

"He was an interesting man to say the least," Ozpin told her. "Very intelligent and adapting, yet he was someone on a mission. I felt like he was never planning to stay in our world very long. We talked a bit while he was still here. He was interested in learning about dust and he taught me Japanese, along with a few other things."

"You can speak Japanese, MISAKA asks in shock. MISAKA has been speaking English for everyone since that was what they were speaking."

"English?" Jaune muttered. "Oh, we just call it the common language here, Last Order. It's probably better to keep speaking it." Last Order nodded.

"I only realized the young man, Accelerator, was from another world when I saw this." Ozpin pulled a small card out of his desk and pushed it across the table. "It's a student ID written in Japanese."

"So what's going to happen now? MISAKA asks tentatively."

"I suppose that is up to you," Ozpin said calmly. "I do not currently know of a way to send you and your friend back to your world at this time but, since my friend disappeared, I theorize there has to be a way. I will spend any time I can to help look for a solution. As it stands, Accelerator is in no condition to move until our medics are able to finish. You asked before how we were healing your friend's injury and I plan to tell you, but first you need to learn a little background about our world."

"Okay, MISAKA agrees. MISAKA is interested in learning because MISAKA heard her new friends mention several things that MISAKA did not fully understand."

"She didn't know what Grimm were," Ruby explained.

"Neither did Accelerator," Jaune remembered. "Being from another world explains that."

"Our world may not be as kind as yours, Miss Order," Ozpin explain and sipped his coffee. "Mankind is divided into four main kingdoms. The Kingdom of Vale is where you currently are. Besieging us from all sides are the creatures of Grimm. Mankind has been at war with them since the beginning. They are dangerous monsters who are hell-bent on destroying us. It has only been due to mankind's ingenuity and cleverness that have we survived this long and formed sanctuaries. From the use of Aura, the ability to ignite one's soul for power, to the discovery of dust, we continue to push back against the forces of darkness."

"This sounds like an adventure story MISAKA points out. People fight back against monsters and then the hero arrives to save the day."

"We have heroes," Ozpin said with a small smile and gestured to Jaune and Ruby.

"Us?" Jaune asked in shock, his mouth agape.

"Us!" cheered Ruby. "We are Hunters. Sworn protector of the innocent, destroyer of Grimm, and savior of humanity!"

"Ah, that's right," Jaune laughed.

"Wow! MISAKA gasps. Nora mentioned that before, but you guys are superheroes! Can MISAKA be one? MISAKA asks excitedly."

"It takes years of practice," Ruby told her and Jaune diverted eye contact. "But anyone can be one if you really want to be."

"Though you are a little young to start in this school," Ozpin pointed out. "Grimm are incredibly dangerous." He sipped his coffee. "Where was I now? Ah, yes. You see Miss Order, dust is one of our greatest weapons. A substance with unique elemental properties we mine from the ground. It provides our cities with power along with our weapons we use against Grimm." He leaned forward. "Do you believe in magic?"

"Magic isn't real, MISAKA replies instantly. Magic is just science that we do not fully understand."

"Maybe in your world," Ozpin agreed. "In this world, we use both science and magic. Dust is volatile in nature, but when combined with our spiritual energy called Aura, it allows us to use magic. Our medical staff is quite skilled with dust to help heal injuries that would normally be fatal. Your friend is in good hands and as soon as he wakes up, we will let him know you are safe."

"Can MISAKA still see him? MISAKA asks quietly."

"Of course," Ozpin smiled kindly to her. "Miss Rose and Mr. Arc can show you to the medical bay."

"Thank you so much! MISAKA says excitedly as MISAKA leaps across the table and shakes your hand." Ruby started laughing and even Jaune was smirking at her action. Ozpin looked mildly amused and accepted the handshake.

"Hey Last Order," Jaune said and lifted her off the table. "It's rather improper to jump on tables like that."

"Sorry, MISAKA apologizes sheepishly."

"You look like you have said that line before," Ruby whispered as Last Order took her seat again.

"Seven sisters," Jaune whispered back. "One's her age and several others were her age once too." He sighed at some of the antics he had to deal with. Being the only boy in eight children was rather tiring. Ruby laughed at his expression.

"If you have any questions," Ozpin told Last Order, as if her antics didn't interrupt anything. "Mr. Arc and Miss Rose's teams will be able to assist you. Do you have any other questions you would like me to answer before you go?"

"Does this mean MISAKA can stay in your school? MISAKA asks curiously as MISAKA tries to avoid getting her hopes up."

"You may as long as your friend is here," Ozpin replied. "Once he wakes up, I will discuss what he would like to do. If you wish, you may observe classes, but please be mindful of others."

"Wow! MISAKA gasps. MISAKA can't wait to see what it's like being a Hunter!"

"You will tell us about your world too, right?" Ruby asks Last Order.

"Of course!"

"Tomorrow is Sunday," Jaune reminded Ruby. "We were planning to do a team building exercise anyways, so this could be part of it."

"Excellent idea, Jaune!" Ruby exclaimed. "You're so smart!" Jaune rolled her eyes as she laughed at him.

"If that's all," Ozpin remarked. "You three are free to go. Thank you for bringing Miss Order to my attention. It was most welcome news."

"Oh, professor," Jaune remembered. "I think Professor Goodwitch knew Team RWBY was bringing Last Order back here. It was something about the way she told us to talk to them when they returned."

"Really?" Ozpin said and raised an eyebrow while he sipped his coffee. "I am impressed, but she is normally on top of everything. Anything else?"

"That's all."

"Okay. Remember, this conversation needs to be kept a secret outside of your teams." Jaune and Ruby nodded.

"Goodbye, MISAKA says as MISAKA waves." She, Ruby, and Jaune all left Ozpin's office and started to head to the medical bay so Last Order could visit Accelerator. Jaune noticed Last Order started to drag her feet and he stopped.

"Want a piggy back ride?" he asked her.

"Really? MISAKA asks in shock." Her eyes widened.

"Sure," Jaune said and smiled. "I do this for my sisters all the time." He knelt down next to her.

"MISAKA never had a piggy back ride before MISAKA cheers as MISAKA jumps on your back. Onwards!"

"You forgot to mention Nora likes to hijack rides too," Ruby laughed.

"I don't get a choice in that matter," Jaune pointed out as they continued down the hallway.

"You seem like such a good big brother," Ruby added as she looked at Last Order's happy expression.

"So I've been told," Jaune laughed. "But it's good to have a nonbiased opinion from someone outside my family." He glanced at the time. "Five Lien that as soon as we enter your room, Yang and Nora will jump at us."

"I'm not accepting a bet we all know is going to happen."

"Do you think Weiss will be up to play some more when we return? MISAKA asks."

"I think Weiss is expecting to," Ruby laughed.

"Looks like by the time we return, it will be about an hour before dinner," Jaune commented as he glanced at a clock on the wall. "That should give us plenty of time to tell the others what Ozpin told us."

"And answer their questions," Ruby pointed out.

"All their questions," Jaune agreed with a roll of his eyes. "At least the relevant ones not from Nora." Ruby giggled.

"After dinner," Ruby spoke up and turned to Jaune. "I'm planning to give Crescent Rose a tune-up at the forge. Want to come with me? I could use some company." Crescent Rose was Ruby's Hunter weapon. It was a large rose colored scythe with black trims. The large scythe blade was forged into a crescent shape, hence its name. It could also turn into a high-caliber sniper rifle.

"From what Yang has told us," Jaune said suspiciously. "When you work on Crescent Rose, you forget everything around you exists."

"She's just jealous she's not as good of a smith as I am," huffed Ruby indignantly.

"I need to buff out a few scratches on my armor anyways," Jaune relented. "So sure Rubes, I'll be glad to keep you company."

"You're the best," Ruby cheered and gave him a hug from the front. "Maybe we can even examine Crocea Mors." Jaune stopped and looked down at the girl hugging him. Last Order notice the atmosphere changed and looked over his shoulder at Ruby too. Ruby felt him freeze and she looked up.

"So," Jaune said slowly. "That's your plan, huh?"

"I-I… have no idea what you mean," stuttered Ruby, as she avoided eye contact.

"I thought I told you I didn't want any upgrades on my family's weapon."

"Come on Jaune," Ruby protested strongly. "You could put a hidden gun on it, so you wouldn't be at such a disadvantage when facing a range opponent. Oh, how about a way to extend the reach at least?"

"No, Ruby."

"Can we at least insert a canister into the hilt to hold fire dust," Ruby begged.

"What part of no-…?"

"What would fire dust do? MISAKA asks interestedly."

"He could ignite it with his aura and set his blade on fire," Ruby told her excitedly. "Imagine him wielding a flaming sword against the Grimm! It would increase his offensive power by leaps and bounds!"

"That… sounds… AWESOME! MISAKA shouts in amazement."

"I know!" Ruby exclaimed. "But Jaune's acting like a stick in the mud whenever I try to upgrade his weapon."

"She stole it once and it was only thanks to Blake I found her in time," Jaune whispered to Last Order, but loud enough for Ruby to hear. "She was trying to put a pistol on it."

"I regret nothing," Ruby mumbled.

"Who is Blake? MISAKA asks curiously as MISAKA has heard the name but does not know the person."

"She's the last member of my team," Ruby explained. "She's out in Vale and I'm not sure when she will be back. Blake's kind of quiet, but loves to read and gives great advice if you ever need it."

"You still aren't going to upgrade my weapon," Jaune told Ruby.

"It's two against one," Ruby declared and stared straight up at him. "This is a democracy!"

"It's my weapon!" Jaune protested.

"Overruled!" Ruby cried.

"Overruled! MISAKA repeats." Ruby reached up and high fived her.

"Can't you…?" Jaune started to ask and then sighed. "We can talk about this later. Can you let go of me now?"

"Not until you agree to let me upgrade Crocea Mors," Ruby argued.

"I'm more worried about what would happen if someone sees us and your sister hears about it," Jaune pointed out nervously. "I don't want to die."

"She won't kill you," Ruby said and then frowned. "Probably."

"That 'probably' is what I'm worried about!" Last Order looked between the two as their faces turned slightly red. She wasn't the most perceptive person around, but even she could see something was there.

"Does Ruby happen to like Jaune? MISAKA asks as MISAKA notices your red faces."

"EHHH!?" Ruby jumped back and Jaune straighten up.

"Ruby's a friend," Jaune told Last Order quickly. "We have known each other since out first day at Beacon."

"J-Jaune's a really close friend," Ruby stammered, her face scarlet. "W-we aren't like that. Besides, he likes We-…" In a burst of speed, that anyone but Ruby would be hard pressed to move at, Jaune reached over and covered her mouth with his hand.

"Ruby!" Jaune hissed.

"Muumph muph mumm," Ruby tried to apologize, but it was only muffled sounds. She enjoyed spending time with Jaune, but she also needed a viable excuse or Yang might create something that wasn't there. It was also a means of escaping the interrogation Yang was sure to be planning since her slipup in Vale. Once Yang got tired of questioning Last Order, she was sure to turn her attention back to Ruby. Just because Ruby had fun with him, similar interests, and were both a little socially awkward, doesn't mean they had to be going out. Sure, she may stammer a little more than normal around him and grew a little warm when they hugged, but that was only because she didn't have a lot of experience around boys. Yang made sure of that. Jaune finally removed his hand from her mouth and she gasped for air. "Sorry, forget what I said. It wasn't important. But really, me and Jaune are just really good friends."

"Jaune and I," Jaune corrected with a smirk.

"Don't be like Weiss," Ruby told him and stuck out her tongue.

"Sorry, MISAKA apologizes. MISAKA is not very good at deciphering nonverbal signals."

"It's fine," Jaune reassured her. "Just… don't say something like that in front of the others."

"Especially Yang," Ruby added. After Last Order nodded, the three of them headed back to their room.

* * *

"Sorry for the delay, Qrow," Ozpin said as he looked at the screen on his desk. "Many surprises occurred today and it has been taking up most of my time."

"It happens to the best of us, Ozpin," Qrow replied. The man had graying black, spiky hair, red eyes, and slight stubble along his jawline. "This wasn't an outright emergency, so there was a little time, but I ran across two surprising pieces of information you probably will be interested in."

"I doubt after today, there isn't much that will surprise me," Ozpin replied and sipped his coffee.

"One of my contacts from a town bordering the Wilds reported in," Qrow said. The Wilds were the areas outside of the kingdoms that was unexplored because of the number of Grimm. "Seems like something unusual happened earlier today. There was a flash of green light in the sky and then reports of Grimm heading in that direction."

"Oh?" Ozpin commented and raised an eyebrow. _Convenient timing._

"When a Hunter went to scout out the area," Qrow continued. "There were quite a few Grimm corpses. They appeared to be sliced apart by a sharp blade and soaking wet. There was probably more, but they had dissolved already."

"Wet?"

"Like they had been drowned in water. One had even been frozen before being torn apart. Yet, there were no signs of dust being used."

"Could it have been from a Semblance?"

"That's what they believe," Qrow said with a shrug. "I wasn't there, so I couldn't even examine the corpses before they disappeared." He paused and took a swig from a flask. "The only other information was a man appeared to be heading deeper into Grimm territory. Black and grey hair, wore a torn brown cloak. No other information was available and no one was willing to trail him without a real reason. Most just believe he was a Hunter who took out some of the nearby Grimm."

"The timing coincides with what has been going on here," Ozpin said. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention."

"What has been happening on your end, Ozpin?" Qrow asked suspiciously.

"Some visitors arrived earlier today and have some unusual abilities," Ozpin replied.

"Cryptic as always," sighed Qrow. "Well, speaking of unusual powers, I've been in Vale for a few hours and ran into someone this evening at a bar. This is primarily why I called."

"What on Remnant could you _possibly_ be doing at a bar?" Ozpin asked with a slight smirk.

"I was feeling slightly sober and needed a drink," Qrow answered with a shrug. "Refilled my flask too for those times when I'm out RISKING MY NECK to find a tiny scrap of a trail on you know what."

"And we appreciate it," Ozpin told him honestly. "Your intel has always been valuable. Now, what were you saying about an unusual power."

"I was talking with a few people and a boy walked up to me," Qrow explained. "Normal looking, really spiky black hair, I thought he was a civilian. He must have thought I was some random bar drunk trying to pick up girls way younger than me." Ozpin didn't say anything. "I was only gathering information on the happenings in Vale." Ozpin only stared at him. "Okay fine, I was trying to get free drinks since the girls worked there. You and your damn interrogation techniques." Ozpin smirked. "I was just planning to push the boy away hard enough for him to fall, but then… I'm not even sure how to explain this."

"That bad?" Ozpin asked quietly.

"Ozpin," Qrow replied seriously. "I touched him and my Aura disappeared." There was a moment of silence as Ozpin processed this.

"What do you mean disappeared?" Ozpin finally asked.

"Vanished, vamoosed, faded away, dissolved, blew up, whatever you want to call it. I no longer had an Aura, even an unlocked one. All my strength, my Semblance, everything was gone. It was like I never had it. I can't remember ever being that weak without being on the verge of death." Qrow couldn't remember the last time Ozpin looked so shocked. He had even sat down his mug. The urge to take a picture was quite strong.

"This… is quite serious," Ozpin said. "You didn't feel like you were about to die or pass out like what would happen with normal Aura Exhaustion?"

"Nope, just really weak. A kid probably could have beaten me up. As soon as the contact broke, my Aura returned like it never happened."

"Do you know where the kid is?"

"He kind of… might be working for Roman Torchwick."

"I see."

"He left the bar with him and a girl who I heard was called Neo," Qrow elaborated. "No idea where he went."

"I know I told you not to get involved with Roman Torchwick, so you can remain inconspicuous among the underground organizations, but I wouldn't have argued if you made an exception here."

"I debated about it," Qrow admitted. "But I figured protecting the world is more important than some brat with a weird power. There was no lasting damage, so it might require contact. Can't say I wouldn't mind losing my Semblance for a few days."

"Anything else about this boy?"

"He didn't have an Aura himself." Once again, Ozpin found himself stunned by the news. "Not an unlocked Aura, no Aura at all. I didn't realize it at first until he left. A little distracted about my own Aura."

"Please let me know if you stumble into any other people with unusual abilities," Ozpin told him at once. "A boy without an Aura shouldn't be that hard to locate. There may be a correlation with the man who slayed those Grimm."

"Whatever," Qrow replied sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. "Not like I have enough on my plate." He drained his flask and looked at Ozpin. "I'm leaving Vale tomorrow unless you need me. I hope I will be back in time for the Vytal Festival, but I don't always have that luxury."

"Your work is essential, Qrow, I thank you." Qrow sniffed and signed off. Ozpin sighed to himself and stood up, before he picked up his coffee and stared out the window at Beacon. "Things have gotten complicated. As soon as one mystery is solved, another one arises. When Accelerator awakes, I need to ask him if he knows of anyone who might have come with him and Last Order. If not, there's a chance the boy could have been made by _her_. A Grimm capable of disguising as a human would be the biggest threat we could face. There is also a chance he could have been born with an unfortunate power. He would not be the first. I won't judge him until I see what he does with that power."

* * *

Accelerator, Touma, and Last Order were not the only ones cast into the world of Remnant.

Wellen Fischer, a poor magician who had almost finished his master plan, found himself lying in a field of grass next to a river. The last thing he remembered was two brats interrupted his ritual to become one of the most powerful beings who ever existed, a magic god. Once he had achieved the pinnacle of magic, he could change the entire world with merely a thought. Because of their interference, the ritual ran wild and tore a hole in space and time. Wellen had no idea where he was and took a moment to examine his surroundings. At least he was near a river and he touched the water with his right hand. A ripple traveled up and down the stream and he waited.

"A town is southwest and only wilderness in the other direction," he muttered to himself. "The tear must have thrown me quite a distance." He looked around and saw something move behind the shadow of a couple trees. "And it doesn't look like I'm still on earth anymore." He frowned when a large creature emerged. It was a Beowolf, but he had no idea what its name was. All he saw was a monster. "I am glad I am by a water source." He reached a hand out and the water in the river began to rise. Before the Beowolf could reach him, the water flew forward like a blade and sliced it in half.

Wellen's magic was based on the principle of water. Rituals involving water were found in pretty much every religion. Water mainly represented cleansing, life, and freedom. It washed away impurities and pollutants, it can make an object look as good as new, and wipe away any signs of previous defilement. Wellen never bothered to focus on a single religion, but instead devoted his time on the near infinite users of water. He could now manipulate the liquid as efficiently as breathing, as long as there was a viable source. In fact, his final ritual revolved around rivers, but not necessarily in the traditional sense. He had been focused on a river that did not use water.

He had set up a plan that would have turned the science side's Misaka Network, a brainwave network formed out of similar brainwave frequency patterns created by close to ten thousand clones, into a catalyst for him to achieve godhood. Last Order had been the control tower and he had captured her to act as the focal point. He was planning to use the network as a false river, since information traveling around the world replaced actual water, and extended his control over the globe. Once all the water in the world was at his disposal, he would use it to access the Rivers of Time. Anyone who controlled time had all of fate in the palm of their hands. He could be anywhere he wanted with only a thought and could alter anyone's fate at a whim.

Now he was stuck fighting a bunch of monsters, injured and weakened, because of the ritual's failure.

It was only because his back was to a river that he survived as more Beowolves and Ursai emerged on his location. Most of the smaller ones were shredded with ease, but then a larger one appeared that drew Wellen's attention. It looked like the original creature he saw, but it was much larger and seemed to be armored with more white bones and spines. It rushed at him lightning fast and Wellen thought of an idea. Instead of slicing it like the others, he unleashed a wave of water that quickly changed to ice on contact. Besides the head, the rest of the beast was frozen solid. With the boss out of the way, he sliced the rest up except for one other, which he froze too.

"What are you?" Wellen asked the large beast when he stepped toward it. The creature only bit at him. "Can't speak? Well then, let's see if you can at least think." He raised his hand and two thin streams of water rushed into the beast's ears and began to flood into its body. "Water is the essence of life. With it, you shall be under my control. I will cleanse your mind of everything I do not need." He closed his eyes and examined the creature. "You run on instincts," Wellen muttered. "Which seems to be killing humans, yet you have lived long enough to develop a small shrivel of higher thought, such as ambushing stragglers. No self-identifiers and will cause smaller creatures to follow you only on instinct. Yet, there's something else…" His eyes widened.

The creature had something embedded in its mind to let someone else control it.

It wasn't a physical thing, more like a naturally occurring evolutionary trait. Something could control this beast when it wanted to and Wellen was not going to let this opportunity waste. "You will be mine beast, as will this new world. My water shall cleanse your mind until your purpose will be to serve me!" Wellen felt the water spread throughout the creature's body. Once he was satisfied he stepped back and looked. The creature's eyes were no longer glowing yellow, but now glowed blue. Wellen waved his hand and the ice shattered around the creature. "Kneel before your new master!"

Instantly, the creature fell onto a knee and dropped its hands on the ground.

"Now," Wellen said to ensure his control was finalized. "Destroy that other creature there." He pointed to the only creature left alive, still trapped in his ice. The first creature moved instantly and used its claws to tear apart the helpless one into pieces. "Looks like these things will serve me well." He noticed the other corpses were disappearing into black smoke. "I may have to study these things more closely. Come on," he said to his new slave, "I need to acquire a few more pawns before I can restart my plans." He and his captive started following the river away from town.

He never saw the small black bird with red eyes perched on a tree. It watched his fight with unblinking eyes. Once Wellen left, the bird took off into the air and traveled into the distance, as if it had a purpose to deliver the news.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 _Omake: Last Stand_

Vale had fallen.

Beacon had fallen.

Jaune and the last five members of the resistance were standing in front of remains of their former school. All of them had their weapons out as their eyes turned up to the tower, which somehow still managed to stand after all the damage. "We have to stop her or this won't stop."

"She won't listen to reason," Pyrrha replied. "This is the only choice left."

"We are with you," Ruby told them. "Friends to the end."

"I never thought something this crazy would occur," Weiss sighed. "Even if it was Vale's council's fault, this didn't need to happen."

"Time for talking is over," Yang told her, as she slammed her gauntlets together. "It's time to beat some sense into her."

"We have been spotted," Blake informed them and pointed." Two figures jumped down from the tower and slid down the rubble until they landed on the ground. The ground cracked under the leader, the scourge of Vale and the person who singlehandedly took down Beacon.

The Queen of the Castle.

Nora Valkyrie.

Next to her stood Lie Ren, The Sloth King and her most loyal cohort. Some believe he didn't want to do this, but Nora could be very persuasive.

"Nora!" Jaune yelled and pointed his sword at her. "Cease this foolishness at once!"

"The council brought it on themselves when they decided to ban pancakes in Vale!" Nora shouted back. "Such an atrocity can never be forgiven! Join us Jaune, as the commander of my army and anything you desire will be yours."

"I will never join you!"

"We still had cookies," Ruby pleaded. "You could have learned to live with just them." Nora turned slowly to her.

"How dare you side with them?!" Nora cried and placed a hand over her heart, while the other one clutched her hammer. "I thought we were friends. When I defeat you, your punishment will be you can only eat oatmeal raisin cookies!"

"Those are the devil's cookies!"

"Enough talk," Yang said and her gauntlets cocked loudly. "It's time, Nora." She charged forward and prepared to deliver a powerful punch into Nora's face. Nora grinned and turned slightly, to reveal a girl strapped on her back in one of those baby carriers. Last Order was eating a candy bar, as Nora kept her high on sugar, and smiling.

"Power me up," Nora ordered.

"Yes ma'am, MISAKA replied as MISAKA unleashes her electricity." Bluish-white sparks erupted around her and seemed to flow into Nora. Nora had the power to convert electricity into raw power. As Yang closed in, Nora swung her hammer.

Yang was sent flying until she became only a twinkle in the distance.

"Ren," Nora ordered. "Summon the sloths!" Ren sighed and pulled out a silver whistle. A shrill screech echoed over Beacon's grounds and several very large things began to move. Prehistoric sloths, easily over ten feet tall, began to surround Jaune and the rest of his group. "Capture them!"

"You will never take us alive!" Jaune, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Pyrrha shouted.


	6. Bad Luck

**I should have seen this coming. Quite a few people are split up over Blake. Some like her and some don't. A lot of people are shipping her with Touma here, but I believe that's because Touma is going to save her. We all know this. It is what he does. Even though this isn't labeled romance, relationships are going to form naturally. When you put a bunch of hormonal teenagers together in life or death situations, it is bound to happen. That is the reason Goodwitch is so strict, to prevent as many accidents as possible. Because this is a RWBY crossover, so any relationship needs a fancy name. Not sure I can beat some of the really clever ones (Penny x Sun as Optimus Primate was pretty funny), but a friend and I have been talking and came up with a few ideas. No ships are set up yet and anything can happen, so we tried to prepare. Accelerator and Weiss was the only one I looked forward to, but some people mentioned Yang with him would be funny. The following are the names we have so far.**

 **Yang and Touma: Fistbump.**

 **Ruby and Touma: Blossoming (Needs work)**

 **Blake and Touma: Nine Lives**

 **Emerald and Touma: Shattered Illusions**

 **Twins and Touma: Triple Trouble**

 **Accelerator and Weiss: Cold and Calculating/Ice Vector**

 **Accelerator and Yang: (Insert amazing one here)**

 **Accelerator x Ruby: One-Way Rose**

 **New ideas for ship names are always welcomed. Now, let's move to your comments.**

 **shiroryuu01: It is the start of the downward spiral of loyalty between our hero and Roman. Hope he has a plan for that eventuality.**

 **General soto: I know memes, it's just I have to be drunk to remember some of them.**

 **Kuvukiland: Yeah, having to work a job instead of write fanfiction sucks. Never grow up if you can avoid it. Poor Neo. She will lose her toy if Touma and Roman have irreconcilable differences. Accelerator will appear soon. Too much comedy and action scenes he has to take part of to just let him sleep. I enjoy Lancaster, but Arkos is more important to me. Though, I really like Knightshade fanfictions.**

 **Memento Mori - The Truth: Not everyone likes OCs. They are just usually more accepting of villain ones. I figured if the good side is gaining a few powerful people, the other side needs help to even things out and make fights more even.**

 **EvsVsz: It's still early in the series and she is focused on the White Fang too much. Ruby I see having a better chance with Touma than Accelerator. She would fall for the more standard hero, someone selfless who risks his life for others. Accelerator always struck me as someone who would respect people who continue to reprimand him even after witnessing his power. Still too early to say for sure, but I added it to the list above.**

 **Guest: I have a scene prepared for that happy moment. "Looks like the Ice King dethroned the Weiss Queen."**

 **Guest: Well, now you get a slight look at his reaction this chapter. Yeah, if you use logic, it is easy to beat Touma. Accelerator, for example, could drop heavy objects on him. Jaune Arc and Touma Kamijou, Lady Killer vs Harem King, let the contest commence.**

 **Guest: Touma's a harem man, she will be one of many.**

 **The Rupture: It's pretty obviously Aleister. The significance of it remains to be seen. Green lights were what threw all the Index characters into Remnant.**

 **Adv: The fun only increases with each chapter.**

 **TheLastSterling: Well, I'm making a list up top. Feel free to add to it.**

 **ImagineBreaker7: No relationships have formed yet, but once the story sets them up, they will. Still not sure who will be with who, but hormones will run wild. Blake and Yang would share. I can almost guarantee that. Yang is very 'open' and Blake reads too much smut. They would try it out.**

 **FireDusk: I added your suggestion up top. Ships can have a couple names.**

 **RPGPersona: Rocket lockers take a few moments to arrive, but having her teammates worry would be a lot longer. Right now, they believe she is with Sun. A or B will be answered this chapter for sure, hehe. Imagine Roman laughing when the Goliath backs away from him. In Blake's defense, Touma was the most valuable one of them, besides maybe Roman's hat, and there was no way to believe her Aura would disappear. Last Order will be Port's favorite student ever. I died laughing at the sword comment, not going any further than that. The reason Jaune silenced Ruby about Weiss is Last Order blabs a lot. Jaune is backing off so Weiss will give him a chance as a friend. If Last Order mentions it, Weiss will have her guard up. Qrow is usually on top of things. Wellen is going to attract the wrath of someone he definitely should have avoided.**

 **Dark 7 Thunder: Soon avid reader, soon.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

Roman Torchwick was many things.

He was a criminal mastermind, fighter, thief, strategist, extraordinary gentleman, entrepreneur, fashionista, handsome, ladies' man, gun for hire, and most recently babysitter for a lost kid, but there was one thing he was not.

Wasteful.

Roman would never let a resource or opportunity pass him by. It was the reason he took Touma Kamijou under his wing. He couldn't care less about the boy's circumstances, except to the degree the knowledge would allow Roman to manipulate him. It was the power the boy wielded in his right hand that interested Roman. When his employer told him to deliver a shipment of dust outside Vale, Roman was pissed, it was one of the reasons he accidently took out his frustration on Neo, but it all worked out in the end. The boy was a welcome blessing indeed, as he wouldn't have to rely on all the White Fang mutts to actually be able to aim straight. Roman didn't care about them at all. They were simply nameless grunts who did the heavy lifting. Touma was adding more value than they ever could. Not only did he prevent Grimm from getting close, Roman laughed as he imagined the others' expression when they drove straight at a Goliath, but Touma had done something else, albeit accidently. Neo had caught him staring at a cat Faunus. This might not have been an unusual act, as Touma admitted he came from a world without real animal people, but if Neo noticed something, Roman took note. At first he thought it was merely jealousy and then it turned into interest.

Roman recognized the cat Faunus from the docks.

She was one of the brats who interfered with his last heist. Roman wanted to strangle her pretty little neck, but that would be counterproductive in present company and there was a chance she could escape from their location. If she did, his delivery would be in jeopardy. Instead, he talked to Neo and told her the plan. They sped up loading the dust to arrive at the meeting place earlier than needed, so they could confronted the spy. Everything went accordingly to Roman's plan, but he did have several contingency plans set up in case something went wrong. He wasn't a criminal mastermind without reason. Neo monitored the cat girl's actions to make sure she didn't call for reinforcements and then headed on their way. Once they arrived at the plateau, Roman had no problems calling her out. She was surrounded by him, Neo, and the mutts. The girl's reaction was interesting, in that she took Touma hostage and discarded her mask.

Roman decided to use this opportunity to cement his lies into Touma.

Pleasing everyone was impossible, but pissing them off was an art. One that Roman had mastered at an early age. It was also pretty damn fun. A few cat jokes and pointing out she was taking a poor innocent kid hostage was more than enough for her to get distracted. All it took from that point on was to casually mention to the boy he could negate Aura. The look on the girl's face was priceless, wide-eyed bewilderment, before Neo knocked her out with a single blow to the back of the head. The girl fell unconscious and Neo grabbed Touma's arm, before pulling him away.

"As you can see," Roman declared and stepped up next to the girl. He prodded her head slightly with the tip of his cane. "Not everyone will understand your noble cause. We could shoot her now or even throw her to the patiently waiting Grimm." He saw Touma's eyes widen and was opening his mouth to argue, which Roman knew he would. Before a single word escaped the boy's mouth, Roman turned slightly and winked at him. "But would that make us any better than her? She was willing to take a hostage and threaten his life. Maybe we should show her we are the bigger people." He turned to a couple Faunus. "Tie her up and gag her." Many of the White Fang began to look at each other in confusion. "Chop, chop, the rest of you start unloading. We need to be ready when the Bullheads arrive." He turned around, nodded toward Neo, and then motioned for the Lieutenant to follow him.

"Why are you keeping her alive?" the Lieutenant asked. "You normally eliminate witnesses, or have Neo do it."

"Things have become complicated," Roman spat out. "I'll tell you and I expect for you to keep your men in line. I wove an extravagant tale, consisting of truth and a little fabrication, for that boy so he will work with me. He is sympathetic to the Faunus plight, that part is true, but he is not one to support violence. Luckily, the White Fang is a civil rights group that may have to resort to thievery, but never attacks unless defending themselves, or so he believes." He laughed. "The dust we steal goes to all the poor villages the Vale government so heartlessly lets suffer to Grimm. He's not a big fan of stealing, but he acknowledges he's ignorant of our world. So no matter what happens, we have to avoid killing, except in self-defense, and keep our mouths shut around him. Understand?"

"Yes," the Lieutenant huffed. "What are you planning to do with him after this?"

"As long as that bitch doesn't learn of him," Roman growled. "A great many things, but I know your men are going to talk even if I tell them otherwise. There's a chance only the Fang will hear it though. Anyways, I plan to mainly use him for delivery and escape routes, then possibly our main operation in Mountain Glenn."

"That will be useful for him to keep the Grimm away while we work," the Lieutenant agreed.

"Exactly," Roman replied. "But you are thinking too small. With his power, we could divert Grimm forces where we need them, clear areas of land we desire, and cause Hunters to flee from our presence."

"Huh?" The Lieutenant looked confused at the last one.

"Oh," Roman said with a grin. "Let's just say there was a reason that spy let down her guard."

* * *

 _I can't believe I let my guard down like that,_ Blake chastised at herself. She had woken up to the sound of approaching Bullheads. Unable to move, she realized she was bound and gagged in the back of one of the troop transport vehicles. She struggled and tried to slip free, even using her Aura to strengthen her body, but nothing could break her bindings. _Figures Roman would use stronger than normal material. I should have known he was going to recognize me and bailed earlier._ The rope around her arms and legs were digging into her skin and was incredibly uncomfortable. The binding over her mouth was the worst and she had to breathe through her was a White Fang member guarding the truck and she sat there thinking about what she should do.

"They need everyone available to help load," a familiar voice said from behind the truck, where Blake could not see. Her ears twitched when she recognized it as the boy Roman had called Mr. Kamijou. "I have to stay back here closer to the ramp, so the Grimm won't try to sneak up."

"Fine," the grunt mumbled and left. Blake frowned, because she didn't believe Roman would let someone with the power to repel Grimm out of his sight without a real reason, especially near a prisoner.

 _I didn't question why I was still alive,_ Blake realized. _Why wasn't I killed? What could they want from me?_ Only bad images passed through her thoughts were then interrupted when the boy climbed into the truck and approached her. She noticed he was keeping his head down, so he wouldn't be spotted. _It doesn't look like he is supposed to be here._ _What is his game?_ The boy stopped in front of her and she narrowed her eyes in warning. There was a tiny bit of fear about what he might try to do to her, since she was helpless. Humans varied drastically in their treatment of Faunus.

"I want to talk," he whispered. "I can remove the gag, but you have to keep your voice down, otherwise they might hear us."

 _I see,_ Blake thought to herself. _Roman sent him to interrogate me. I won't tell him anything, but getting this gag out for a bit won't be too bad._ She sighed internally and gave the boy a brief nod. He reached around and untied the cloth and let it fall down next to her. "Thanks," she mumbled, but steeled her resolve.

"My name is Touma Kamijou," the boy introduced himself and paused. Blake did not give him her name and he continued. "Sorry for this, but I want to know, are you a Hunter?"

"Yes," Blake responded, a little confused at the weird question. _Didn't expect that._

"I wanted to let you know I talked with Roman and they aren't planning to kill you," Touma whispered quickly. "They are planning to toss you in an abandoned alleyway when we get back to Vale." Blake raised an eyebrow at him.

 _He can't possibly believe I am that naïve,_ she thought. "You expect me to believe that?"

"Huh?"

"Roman Torchwick is a criminal," she spat out. "He's going to get rid of me at the first opportunity. Do you not know him or are you trying to deceive me?"

"I know he has stolen dust," Touma admitted. "He was honest about that, but I can't say I really know the circumstances. He wasn't kidding when he said I came from really far away."

"Let me enlighten you then," Blake told him, a little calmer. His expression seemed to reveal he was telling the truth and Blake knew Roman. He was a schemer and now she believed he was manipulating the boy to use his power. "Roman is a liar, a thief, and a murderer. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants."

"He was willing to help me out with a big problem of mine," Touma replied, almost defensively. "I asked if there was anything I could do to repay him and that is why I'm keeping the Grimm back. So far, besides the dust thefts, he hasn't done anything you accused him of."

"When you get a chance," Blake told him calmly. "Pay attention to the news." She frowned and switched topics. There was no real reason from the boy to believe her if Roman brainwashed him. Instead, there was something else she needed to know. "How do you keep the Grimm away and what did you do to my Aura?"

"Well," Touma replied and scratched his cheek. Blake didn't know Roman had spoken to Touma about what to say if he ever had to explain his power to someone. "My… Semblance allows me to negate anything supernatural. Grimm will disappear with only a touch, so they stay away out of fear. I was told they will follow to a certain degree because of instinct and emotions, but they won't willingly approach. I can also use my Semblance to negate an individual's Aura." Blake's mouth fell open.

 _That… doesn't make any sense,_ Blake thought. She couldn't wrap her head around such an ability. _Would supernatural apply to dust too? He can also repel Grimm, so there is no way Roman would give him up without a fight. I'm alive because Roman needs him to believe he's a good person._ "So the reason you don't have any sign of an Aura is because of your Semblance?" Touma nodded. _Semblance is supposed to be derived from one's Aura. This doesn't make any sense, but I witnessed it for myself._

"I didn't ask for this power," Touma muttered. For a brief moment, Blake felt a small trace of pity for him. She could understand being born into a situation that was no ideal. Blake had been pretty much born into the White Fang, but left because it grew too radical. "But I do what I can to help people. Is it at least true Faunus are not treated well?"

"Vale treats them better than a lot of other areas," Blake admitted. "The White Fang was originally formed to protest inequality, but because things were not changing, they grew more violent. They attack stores and people now, rather than nonviolent protests. It gave them results, so they continued to grow more radical."

"I'm not sure I can believe you," Touma said slowly. "I heard a lot of unpleasant stories about Hunters abusing authority, not just from Roman, but others." The thought of Blake trying to use him as a hostage was still fresh in his mind and Blake knew this.

"They are probably his friends," Blake muttered. She had no idea what all Roman told him and it wasn't like she had proof. The most she could do is warn him and possibly get him to leave on his own. "Just… keep your eyes and ears open. If you need a place to escape, head to Beacon and ask for Ozpin. He should be able to help you."

"Thanks," Touma replied with a mixture of gratitude and a little suspicion. "I have to go or Neo is going to question where I went. I only had time because something stalled with the loading. Sorry, I have to put this cloth back."

"I understand," Blake replied. "One last thing, how did you know I was a spy?" Touma tilted his head slightly in confusion. "You were watching me back in the warehouse."

"I didn't know you were a spy," Touma muttered and diverted his eyes. "I… might have been distracted by something else." Blake noticed his ears turned red.

"Oh," was all Blake could respond with. She sat in silence as Touma covered her mouth with the gag again, but then he fiddled with the ropes on her wrists. She might have felt slightly flattered if the situation hadn't been so serious. That conversation was embarrassing for the both of them. The boy left and Blake was berating herself for not recognizing the signs. She read enough books to know what the boy had noticed. She was wearing clothes too small for her and he even admitted he was from an area without Faunus. _At least he doesn't seem to have any problems with Faunus, but Yang must never find out about this._ She fidgeted at the bindings. Touma loosened them because her hands were turning pale from lack of blood flow.

That was more than enough for her.

* * *

"Dang mutts can't even load crates properly," Roman growled angrily and kicked the ground. Neo stood beside him. At least his employer didn't come personally and only sent a green haired brat to make sure the dust was loaded. The White Fang didn't load the crates properly and they ran out of room, so everything had to be reorganized to maximize space, since they weren't going to waste any dust. _At least I didn't have to tell her about the boy. There's a little time before word spreads._ "Where's our guest?" Roman asked Neo. He didn't like Touma being left alone for too long. Not because Roman thought he would cause trouble, but there was a chance he would hear something that would cast doubt on Roman's lies.

 _He's been standing in the back near the incline to make sure Grimm don't approach,_ Neo gestured. _I'm surprised the Beowolves hadn't attempted to climb a wall, the cliff isn't that high up._

"Seems like the longer he stays in one spot," Roman mused. "The further the effect spreads. Good to know. The Grimm won't climb up here until they are sure he is gone."

 _We ready to leave yet? I want to play with my new toy if you don't need him._

"There's still one thing left to do," Roman replied and tapped his cane on the ground. "We need to get rid of the little kitten. She needs to have an accident before we head back."

 _Oh?_ Neo mouthed and an evil grin appeared on her face. Roman grinned too. If he needed someone taken out, Neo would gladly do it. She had a malicious streak and enjoyed torturing her victims before slowly taking their life.

"Sorry, doll," Roman said. "It needs to look like an accident…ow!" Neo had kicked him in the shins for getting her hopes up. "You see Neo, our trucks are old and one of them may slow down and fall outside the boy's protective range. If a Grimm gets close enough and happens to maul a cat, nothing we can do about it. These things happen in our dangerous world." Neo grinned and shrugged in agreement. "Exactly, what can you do? A quick fix will save the White Fang members though."

 _Good as plan as any,_ Neo gestured and then yawned. _I'm getting tired. Going to make sure no one does anything stupid around Touma and then tease him a bit. I want to leave as soon as possible._

"Who's the boss here?" Roman asked with a roll of his eyes. Neo grinned and pointed to herself. "Very funny. I don't see why you can't have your fun. Just be ready to leave." Neo grinned, turned, and walked toward were Touma was standing. Then everything changed.

"The prisoner escaped!" someone yelled out from the truck.

"Shit!" Roman growled. "Dang mutts can't do anything right." He raised his voice. "Spread out and find her! We know what she looks like and can't hide among us anymore!"

"Who's hiding, Roman?" Blake asked from on top of the truck closest to the incline. "I only escaped before you could end my life." There really was no way for her to escape without being detected, so she might as well cast doubt about who Roman truly was.

"You seem to have been ill-informed," Roman laughed. "We were planning to take you back to Vale and toss you in a trashcan somewhere. Once you woke up, you could easily head home. Your presence did not interfere with our plans at all."

"Not falling for that," Blake replied and jumped back. The White Fang members were surrounding her and pushing her back toward the Grimm standing halfway up the incline. They were armed with rifles and blades, while Blake only had her sword in hand and sheath on her hip. Before their eyes, the sword transformed into a pistol. "I think I would rather take my chance with the Grimm."

"Suit yourself," Roman shrugged. "Makes it easier for us."

"Wait!" Touma yelled and stepped up. "Don't do anything stupid. The White Fang fight for Faunus, they won't let you die if you trust them." He didn't notice several of the White Fang began to shift uncomfortably in place.

"My distrust for that man," Blake replied and pointed to Roman, as she kept backing up. "Far surpasses my trust for my brother and sisters." Touma's eyes widened. He understood that meeting and, apparently, so did several others. The cry of traitor echoed across the plateau.

"And here I was being a nice guy," Roman sighed and held up his cane. The bottom opened up and a small target appeared. He aimed down the cane, like it was a scope. His finger clicked a button on the end and a large red ball of energy flew out of it. Roman kept a supply of red dust used for explosions in his weapon, Melodic Cudgel. It was a cane, but had several added features that allowed him to go toe to toe against Hunters. The blast of energy was heading toward Blake, but she noticed it was going to miss her. Instead of aiming at her, Roman had aimed over her shoulder. She turned and saw an Ursa breaking away from the pack toward her. The dust energy hit it and exploded, sending the Grimm remains flying backwards. Blake was shocked Roman had actually helped her.

However, a bunch of trigger happy recruits started firing.

Blake was trapped in the open and had no choice but to rush toward the approaching Grimm, as bullets flew around her. The Grimm were being hit, but there were too many for the guns to accurately take down at this range. A Beowolf lunged at her, but she jumped into the air and brought her blade down at its neck. She beheaded it effortlessly and then landed on the back of an Ursa. Another Beowolf reached up a claw and stabbed it into her chest. For a second it looked like Blake had fallen, but she vanished and appeared next to the Grimm. Another quick slash ended its life. Blake's Semblance allowed her to create shadow doubles of herself to take blows in her place. The first row of Grimm was being shredded by the gunfire, so she had to go deeper into the swarm or she was going to get hit too.

 _If I can make it to the tree line at the bottom,_ Blake thought desperately. _I should be able to get back to the city._ She was not a heavyweight fighter like Yang and relied on speed to strike at her opponent. Long drawn-out fights in the open were her worst matchup. Once she could climb up a tree and use the terrain to escape the Grimm, she would be fine. However, fate was not on her side. She had gone through quite a few Grimm, when a large claw hit her.

"Ack!" Blake gasped in pain as she fell backwards. If she did not have Aura, her stomach would have been torn open. As soon as she hit the ground, she sprung back up to her feet. An Ursa Major towered in front of her. _Not good._ Her momentum had been halted and she was surrounded by Grimm. She raised her sword as the Ursa Major raised its arm. The Beowolves around her began to approach and raise their own claws. Her attention was focused purely on trying to dodge and strike back in order to survive. However, something happened that caused her to freeze momentarily.

If she had been worried about the White Fang, she would have noticed the gunfire had ceased or that Roman yelled at them to stop. What she noticed instead was the Grimm were separating around her so fast, they were actually falling off the incline up to the plateau. The Ursa Major in front of her stopped attacking and immediately began to retreat. Blake would have been shocked by this, but by now she knew there was only one thing that could have caused a reaction like this. She turned around and saw Touma almost upon her. Touma had run out to try to help her, even risking being hit by bullets. Neo stepped in to help too, mainly beating the crap out of those who did not follow Roman's order fast enough.

"Are you okay?" Touma asked when he drew near.

"I'll be fine," Blake replied, keeping her voice calm. She did clutch at her stomach though. It hurt, but her Aura would remove the pain eventually.

"I can't believe you jumped into a pit of monsters like that," Touma told her in shock.

"As I said," Blake told him evenly. "I do not trust Roman Torchwick. I overheard him saying he was going to have me killed in an _accident_." She accented the last word heavily.

"You must have misheard," Touma muttered, but grew quiet under her glare. "Can you make it back to Vale by yourself?" he asked quickly, as he changed the subject.

"If I can get to the tree line," Blake replied and pointed. She still kept an eye on Roman and the White Fang. They had not moved and were too far away for her to hear them. "It will give me enough cover to avoid the Grimm. I should be able to easily get into Vale from there."

"Okay," Touma said. "I'll get you there, but then I have to go back."

"Why?" Blake asked in surprise.

"I need to keep the Grimm off them," Touma replied and gestured to the White Fang.

"I meant," Blake amended quickly. "Why are you helping me?"

"Because you were in trouble," Touma answered simply. Whatever Blake had been expecting, it was not that. Her eyes widened as she processed his words and expression. There was no doubt or malicious intent in his words. He was being completely honest. "I also don't think you were planning to hurt me. You were only shocked Roman found you out." Blake narrowed her eyes slightly and stared at him. Unless he could turn off his power instantly, the Grimm would not approach them. He would only have to travel with her a little farther and she could disappear. It was either that, return to Roman's White Fang, or try to fight off a large group of Grimm by herself. The choice was clear.

"Move quickly," she whispered. She wasn't sure if she could completely trust the boy, but he hadn't done anything to her so far. Blake was not someone to trust easily, but she did not hate him like she hated Roman. Together, they ran side by side, until the Grimm separated enough for Blake to jump up into a tree. She disappeared instantly and left Touma behind. She felt kind of guilty leaving a kind boy in Roman's grasp, but she had to pick her fights. _I owe him, so I'm going to get the others and think of a way to help him escape._ Touma did the only thing he could do, start running back to Roman and the others before the Grimm realized they were no longer protected by his hand.

Roman, on the other hand, watched the entire exchange from his vantage point. He didn't like the fact Blake got away, but he would make the best out of a bad situation. Bad might be an overstatement though. The situation was easily salvageable into something beneficial. The White Fang would not be happy a traitor escaped and Roman was not happy the knowledge of Touma's power would be spread. He had hoped to keep it a secret for a little while longer. There were a few benefits from it he had considered. Those benefits are why he helped out Blake with his attack, instead of killing her.

 _These beasts saw my subordinate risk his life to save a Faunus, I can use this. Before, they only worked with me out of necessity, but now I can pretend we are actually sympathetic to their cause. If a couple White Fang grunts die on a mission, I won't be blamed. Not sure how many people will hear about the boy though, Ozpin probably, but he doesn't spread a lot of secrets. If it does spread, I could use it. The underground won't oppose me when I have people who can horde Grimm. A few threats and I can get anything I want. I only need to worry about 'her'._ Roman was a criminal mastermind with many contingency plans at all times.

He was also not a wasteful man.

* * *

"That's still one of the most insane stories I have ever heard," Yang announced after Ruby and Jaune told her and the others about their meeting with Ozpin. Naturally, they had questions, but it wasn't like Ruby or Jaune could answer them all. The biggest one was how something like traveling between worlds was even possible. "And you have no idea what happened?"

"Nope, MISAKA apologizes as MISAKA shakes her head. The last thing MISAKA remembers is water and a lot of green light." She was walking next to Weiss and Nora.

"Since your world doesn't have Grimm or dust," Weiss commented. "It probably has to be one of your 'science abilities' that cause this." Last Order had given them a rough overview of the abilities developed in her home town of Academy City. Each person could have a unique ability unlocked for them and their power was on a scale from 0 to 5. Controlling electricity made Last Order an electromaster. As abilities were similar to Semblances, the girls, Jaune, and Ren could understand it to a degree.

"MISAKA does not know of any abilities that allow time manipulation."

"Still," Pyrrha pointed out. "You admitted you do not know all abilities that have been developed. It is possible a new one had been recently unlocked. Though," she put a hand on her chin. "It could be possible the rift occurred from our side and broke the wall to yours."

"Oh," Nora said dejectedly. "Do you think I caused it when I blew up the classroom?"

"I doubt that," Jaune laughed. "You did that yesterday and Last Order didn't arrive until this morning. Besides, you may have some… destructive tendencies, but I doubt you can go and destroy a wall between worlds." Nora turned to look at him seriously and Jaune realized what he had done. He wasn't the only one.

"Nora," Ren interjected quickly. "He didn't propose that as a-…."

"Challenge accepted!" Nora yelled and raised her hand into the air. "This day, I, Nora, Queen of the Castle, declare I will find a way to cause an explosion big enough to travel to another world."

"Dang it, Jaune," Ren sighed and face palmed. Yang and Ruby were cracking up, while Pyrrha tried to hide her amusement, but failed when she started to giggle. Weiss looked scandalous and Last Order only smiled.

"That wasn't a challenge," Jaune amended instantly. "As an order from your team leader, do not try that!"

"You're no fun, Jaune-Jaune," Nora sighed. "What if it is the only way to get Last Order home?"

"If we find evidence that is the only way," Jaune relented. "I promise you, I'll let you cause it."

"Yes!" Nora cheered and fist pumped the air.

"MISAKA wants to watch too, MISAKA adds." Last Order and Nora high fived.

"Out of curiosity," Ruby asked. "Has anyone heard of anything relating to traveling to or from other worlds?"

"I've read a few books," Ren mentioned with a shrug. "It is usually some kind of magic that causes someone to stumble into a different world. The only one I remember dealing with water is a girl who fell into a well. I feel Blake would probably know more than I do."

"Blake is currently out with Sun," Yang said dismissively. "She's missing out on all the fun here."

"She won't pick up her Scroll either," Ruby sighed. "I wanted her to know about this."

"She's probably just busy," Pyrrha consoled her. "Blake is smart and won't get into trouble without reason. If Sun's with her, he's probably trying to drag her around somewhere."

"Sure," Yang commented with a grin. "Nothing bad could happen with a guy and a girl, alone, overnight."

"So immature," Weiss huffed and rolled her eyes. "Ignoring Yang, I would like to point out we are approaching the dining hall and our discussions should be tailored to avoid discussing Last Order's predicament. We need to decide on the cover story for while she is here, because we know some of our classmates are going to say something about her." There was a silent collective agreement as everyone thought of Cardin Winchester. He was the leader of Team CRDL and a renowned bully. If he saw Last Order, he would be sure to try to rat them out and cause a scene. They needed a viable story why she was with them.

"Couldn't we just say we are watching her for a friend?" Ruby asked. "It's close enough to the truth."

"That's not a bad idea," Pyrrha considered. "Though, there are limits to who we can bring in."

"Guests are supposed to be reserved for family," Ren pointed out. "Or day passes for friends."

"I have an idea!" Nora announced and everyone turned to her. Many were skeptical without hearing her plan. "Why not just say she's a relative of ours?"

"None of us look similar enough," Yang pointed out. "Not even the same hair color."

"Can you really say that?" Weiss asked exasperatedly and then gestured to Ruby.

"So we are not really sisters, Yang?" Ruby asked in a fake hurt voice. Then she pretended to cry and hug Last Order. "You hear that? I don't have a sister."

"There, there, MISAKA says soothingly as MISAKA hugs back. You can be MISAKA's adopted sister." Ruby raised her head and stuck out a tongue at Yang.

"Come here, you," Yang said with a roll of her eyes and pulled Ruby into her arms. "You know I love you, squirt."

"Crushing me!" Ruby called out, as she pretended to be dying in Yang's clutches.

"A relative isn't a bad idea," Ren mused. "After all, we know someone with seven sisters."

"Seven?!" Yang and Weiss gasped.

"That's right," Jaune nodded. "Forgot Yang and Snow Angel didn't know. Three older and four younger."

"Stop with that nickname," Weiss snapped.

"That must have been crazy living at home," Yang said amazed. "I can hardly deal with one."

"That's my line!" Ruby interjected.

"They can be a handful," Jaune admitted. "Especially the older ones. All of us are blonde, we take after my dad's side, but my mom does have brown hair."

"That works out perfectly then," Pyrrha pointed out. "We can say Last Order is one of your younger sisters who has come to visit because she missed you."

"He has already shown he can act like a big brother around her," Ruby added excitedly. "Shouldn't be too hard to pass off."

"You know," Weiss pointed out. "Professor Ozpin already gave us permission. Saying we are watching her for a friend would be simple enough. Who knows how Accelerator will react when he wakes up and finds Last Order pretending to be someone else's family." Yang rolled her eyes at the boring idea.

"Why not say what's really on your mind, Weiss Cream?" Yang asked and put her arm over Weiss's shoulders. "Could it be you are jealous Jaune would get to spend more time with his younger 'sister,' instead of you spending time with a friend's sibling?"

"I-I said no such thing," Weiss protested and turned away from her. There was a faint pink blush on her cheeks.

"If you wanted to date Vomit Boy," Yang whispered. "You could both spend time with her." Weiss grimaced and pushed Yang away, hard.

"Why not let Last Order choose?" Nora asked curiously and Ren nodded. After a short deliberation and then unanimous consensus, they turned to her.

"Last Order," Pyrrha said and knelt down next to her. "Because of school regulations, while you are here and until Accelerator wakes up, it will be easier to pretend you are part of someone's family." Last Order nodded. "Do you have a preference?"

"Well…, MISAKA says hesitantly as MISAKA likes everyone."

"Don't worry," Ruby laughed. "None of us will take offense." Though, her eyes darted to Weiss for a second.

"MISAKA actually has many sisters, MISAKA explains, but MISAKA does not have a brother. MISAKA wants to experience that, MISAKA finishes embarrassed as MISAKA diverts her eyes and moves closer to Jaune."

"Awwww!" All the girls except Weiss swooned over the adorable embarrassed expression on Last Order's face. Weiss had a hint of jealousy mixed in, but even she had to admit Last Order was cute.

"Should we head to dinner?" Ren asked. "Now that everything is settled."

"Yes!" Nora cheered and grabbed his arm. "I'm starving!" She rushed off with poor Ren being dragged behind her.

"Shall we go too, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.

"Sure," Jaune agreed. He reached down a hand toward Last Order, who didn't grab it, but looked up at him expectantly. "Is something wrong?" he asked. She held out her arms.

"Will you carry me? MISAKA asks innocently as MISAKA uses her secret Puppy-Dog eyes weapon to be selfish." Her eyes were wide, sad, and still one of the best manipulative expressions he had ever seen.

"You don't have to look at me like that," Jaune laughed. "I'm used to being asked for piggyback rides." He knelt down. "Hop on." Last Order cheered and wrapped her arms around his neck. Pyrrha looked slightly jealous, but managed to hide it well. Jaune stood up, supported her legs with his arm, and then they and Pyrrha headed after Nora and Ren. "You're sad face is still better than Ruby's."

"Hey!" Ruby cried and chased after them. She started to argue how she was more experienced with her expression.

"MISAKA is number one, MISAKA declares." This caused them all to laugh as they rounded a corner.

"If Arc does anything to hurt her," Weiss muttered irritated. "I will end him."

"Seems like Lady Killer is good with children too," Yang laughed. "You missed out, Weiss."

"When has he been your type?" Weiss asked incredulously.

"He's not so much my type," Yang corrected with a shrug. "He's a little too passive for my taste, though he does have some good points. His height and build isn't bad, especially with the extra training he's getting, good with kids, nice to everyone, and can cook. I can see why Pyrrha likes him. She better make a move soon or another girl is going to snatch him up."

"Ugh," Weiss groaned. "You didn't have to go through him asking you out twenty times a day."

"If he could dazzle me," Yang laughed. "I might have been willing to go on one test date. Now, I wouldn't want to intrude on Pyrrha's claim. She may be a champion fighter, but she's really nice, and you never make the nice girls snap. Jaune needs to hurry up and realize she likes him. This is my month on our pool." Team RWBY had a bet on when Jaune would realize Pyrrha liked him.

"I have next month," Weiss reminded her. "As long as you don't tell him, I'm sure she will get to him then."

"Never going to happen, Weiss Cream," Yang replied. "Hurry up, we are lagging behind the others and I know you want to sit next to Last Order." Weiss didn't say anything to her accusation, because they both knew it was true.

* * *

"So this is the girl you snuck in?" Coco asked and leaned on the table Team RWBY and JNPR were sitting at.

Coco Adel was the leader of the second year Team CFVY. She was friends with both of their teams, though she was closer to Yang, since they shared a love of fashion and gossip. She had fair skin, short dark-brown hair, and dark-brown eyes. Her clothes consisted of a long, cocoa-colored shirt with a dark brown waist cincher. She wore long, dark brown trousers with ribbons on the left side, a brown belt with bullets, and dark brown, high-heeled leather boots with buckles. A dark brown beret covered her head and a pair of black, wire-rimmed aviator sunglasses covered her eyes. Behind her stood Velvet Scarlatina. She wore a short, long-sleeved brown jacket with a golden zipper, brown pants and black leggings with golden detail. There was also a black, semi-translucent undershirt beneath her jacket, along with golden spaulders and vambraces on both arms, as well as a similar belt. Her most distinguishing trait was her long brown rabbit ears on her head, which came out of her long brown hair.

"Hi, Velvet," Jaune waved. Velvet smiled and waved back. Being a Faunus, Velvet faced a bit of discrimination, especially from Cardin's team. One day, they had been pulling her ears and Jaune came to her rescue. Since then, they had been friends and Velvet realized Jaune had timed helping her well. Coco and the rest of her team found out Cardin had been bullying Velvet and they had been planning to 'correct' him. It would not have been pretty.

"Yep," Yang told Coco. "She's Vomit Boy's sister. Ruby, Weiss, and I picked her up while he and his team had to serve detention."

"Heard about that," Coco acknowledged and turned to Nora. "Only three classrooms?"

"I could have done more if I was actually trying," Nora protested.

"Don't try," Weiss and Ren both told her.

"I bet you could," Coco laughed and then turned back to Yang. "Why did you have to sneak her in? Couldn't you just have explained the situation to Goodwitch?"

"Dunce forgot to fill out the paperwork," Weiss lied without breaking her calm demeanor. "So we snuck her to Professor Ozpin to explain the situation." Even though it wasn't true, everyone silently agreed it was something Jaune would have probably forgotten to do.

"My bad," Jaune said and rubbed his head. "A lot of things happened and I forgot." His eyes darted to Last Order. "Do not throw your vegetables under the table," he told her. Years of practice with younger siblings allowed him to instantly know when they were up to something.

"But MISAKA doesn't like green, peppers MISAKA complains."

"Eat them anyways," Jaune said. "They are good for you." Last Order mumbled something and Jaune smirked. "Once you finish them, you can have cookies." He looked to the left. "Better hurry, before Ruby eats them all." Ruby was in the process of inhaling her usual plate of cookies.

"I would leave some for her," Ruby replied, hurt at the accusation. "…probably."

"Arc's right," Weiss added. A small shiver went down her spine as she admitted that. "You have to eat your vegetables." She indicated to the salad in front of herself.

"Seems like a good big brother," Coca acknowledged. "Cute sister too."

"Surprised me when he turned out to have seven sisters," Yang said conversationally.

"Seven?!" Coco and Velvet gasped.

"That was pretty much everyone's reaction the first time he told us," Pyrrha laughed. "We found out earlier and then Ruby, but Yang and Weiss found out today."

"Seven sisters," Coca repeated and then shook her head. "And he still dresses like that?" She gestured to all of him. "And he's rubbing off on her too." She gestured to the blue and white dress Last Order was wearing.

"What's wrong with the way I dress?" Jaune protested. Cocoa lowered her sunglasses down her nose and gazed directly at him.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" she asked in a deadpanned voice. Velvet shook her head vigorously behind her to let Jaune know how to answer.

"No…," Jaune finally replied.

"Good boy," Cocoa said and stood up straight. "If you ever decide to actually improve your wardrobe, let me know. Catch you later, Yang." She and Velvet waved goodbye and then left. Jaune waited until he was sure they were out of earshot, before turning back to the rest of the group.

"What's wrong with my clothes?" Jaune muttered.

"Nothing," Nora answered through a mouthful of pancakes. No one was really sure where she got the pancakes, since they weren't serving any for dinner. Ren was probably involved, but he had already finished his dinner and was drinking one of his green health drinks. No one else wanted to ask what was in it, because it was bright green and resembled algae. It even seemed to glow slightly.

"Remember the onesie you wore on the first day of Beacon?" Yang asked Jaune.

"Yes?"

"Burn it."

"It was a gift from my sisters!"

"Burn it," Weiss echoed Yang's order.

"It's warm and comfy," Jaune protested. "Plus, Pumpkin Pete is a famous mascot. My hoody has their logo too."

"Burn it too," Yang and Weiss repeated. They gave each other a quick high five and stared at Jaune.

"A little help guys?" Jaune pleaded to the rest of the table.

"…" Ren continued to sip his health shake to avoid answering. He wasn't a coward. There just was no good answer to give. Even if he thought the mascot was childish, he didn't care that much if Jaune liked it. However, he smirked slightly at Jaune when the others weren't looking. If Jaune would dress a little more seriously, Ren wouldn't complain.

"Pumpkin Pete is cute." Nora gave her opinion, but it was hard to tell what she was really thinking. She never appeared to care about fashion, but her outfits weren't that bad. She also never commented about other people's clothes, and would treat everyone the same, unless they did something that hurt one of her friends.

"One's weapon is more important than your outfit," Ruby added. "Grimm don't care what we wear." It was a compromise between not suffering her sister's wrath for betrayal and not hurting Jaune's pride. If Jaune was a little awkward with his clothes, it meant he wouldn't outgrow her as a friend.

"I don't really have a problem with it," Pyrrha said slowly. This was a little awkward for her, as she was Pumpkin Pete's mascot on their cereal. She was a famous athlete, even if she didn't let the fame go to her head. Jaune was her partner and she didn't want to hurt his feelings, but another part of her really wanted for him to get rid of the onesie at least. It had nothing to do with him wearing more formfitting bed clothes, since they shared a room. Yep, that had nothing to do with it. "Though, they may be a little childish," she finally conceded.

"Not you too?" Jaune groaned and turned to her with betrayal on his face. Pyrrha turned away slightly guiltily.

"Hah!" Yang called out triumphantly. "Even Pyrrha is on our side and she l-…" She cut off for a second as someone kicked her hard under the table and she changed direction. "Likes to take your side."

"MISAKA likes the bunny, MISAKA says as MISAKA adds to the conversation. It reminds me of Gekota."

"Gekota?" Weiss asked.

"He's a frog mascot back home, MISAKA explains."

"Finally!" Jaune cheered. "Someone supportive." He patted her on the head and she grinned up at him, before taking a cookie now that her vegetables were finished.

"Because she's a kid," Yang pointed out. "It's okay for her to wear it, but you are _seventeen_."

"Maybe I should just walk around stark naked," Jaune sighed. "Since you will always insult my taste in clothes."

"Don't you dare, Arc!" Weiss almost screeched, but controlled the volume of her voice, barely. Pyrrha's face flushed when she pictured that and Nora didn't help. She had laughed and elbowed Pyrrha in the side. Ren only sighed and tried to ignore imagining that scene. Ruby pulled the hood of her red cape over her head, as she felt herself grow hot at the image. Yang only grinned.

"Let me know so I can take pictures," Yang told him. "I'm interested in seeing the results of Pyrrha's training. It will be _Arc-some!_ " There was a collective groan across the table, but Last Order gave a slight giggle. Yang beamed at her.

"Hey Arc!" an arrogant voice called out and they saw four guys walking past their table. "Who's the midget?!" It was Cardin. Cardin was very tall, towered a good head over the others, had burnt-orange hair that was combed backwards with a slight peak at the front, and indigo eyes. He may not have bullied Jaune as much anymore, since Jaune had saved him from an Ursa Major once, but that didn't stop him from being a jerk.

"She's my sister, Cardin," Jaune replied and tried to keep his temper under control. "Leave her alone."

"We were talking," Ruby chimed in.

"Cool it," Cardin said with a roll of his eyes. "Not used to seeing a kid around here if parents aren't present. I doubt any girl would want to do it with you anyways." Nora put a hand on Pyrrha's shoulders before she could stand up.

"Can I shock him? MISAKA asks." Last Order had turned to the rest of the group.

"No," Nora told her sternly, which surprised everyone, until she continued. "I have dibs on breaking his legs the next time he bothered us." Cardin's face paled slightly.

"Nora," Ren warned. "You can't break people's legs."

"Can to," Nora protested. "One well-placed swing of my hammer would-…"

"Let me rephrase that," Ren sighed. "You shouldn't."

"But it's Cardin!"

"I don't so much care when you make fun of Arc," Weiss spoke up. "I do that periodically, but I will not tolerate you insulting this girl. Why don't you leave before we hold Ren back, so Nora can greet you with her hammer?" She grinned coldly at Cardin and he got the message.

"Come on," he mumbled to the others and they left.

"He's a bully right? MISAKA asks to clarify."

"Yeah," Jaune confirmed. "He's been better lately, but…" He trailed off.

"Our fearless leader saved his life," Nora bragged.

"Cool! MISAKA exclaims."

They continued their conversation, mainly about school, but purposely avoided anything that could lead people to believing Last Order was not Jaune's sister or from another world. People probably wouldn't believe them, but they couldn't let the rumor spread. Weiss mostly chatted with Last Order, who seemed happy with the attention. They found out Accelerator liked to sleep and would ignore her for hours at a time, but anytime she really needed him, he was there. They eventually headed back to Team RWBY's dorm and were planning to learn more about Last Order's home town, when Yang spoke up.

"I know we wanted to talk about what we found out today," Yang announced. "But something came up and we need the guys to leave, so we can have a girl talk." Jaune and Ren looked at each other for a moment.

"We?" Ruby asked confused. "You didn't tell us anything about this."

"It was a surprise," Yang replied with a grin.

"What are you up to?" Weiss asked suspiciously.

"What makes you think I'm up to anything?" Yang asked and then started whistling innocently.

"Because you are you."

"You wound me, Weiss Queen." Yang put a hand over her heart.

"As soon as you talk like that," Weiss pointed out. "I _know_ you are up to something."

"Ren is great at girl talks," Nora informed Yang. "He and I talk all the time. Well, I talk and he listens, but he gives great advice." Ren froze for a moment, not sure if he was going to be dragged into this or not. He and Jaune had just stood up to leave.

"Is this about how you were planning to get Ruby shoes?" Pyrrha asked. "I never actually saw you return with them. If so, that doesn't seem like something we should kick the guys out of the room for, even if it might not interest them." Yang's eyes widened.

"Oh, man," Yang muttered and slapped her forehead with her palm. "I completely forgot about that when we ran into Last Order and everything. Dang, we need to go back into Vale and get her some."

"How could you, Pyrrha!?" Ruby cried. She actually believed she had gotten off scot-free, because Yang had forgotten. Pyrrha could only mouth _sorry_ at the look of betrayal on Ruby's face. "I almost escaped from having to buy lady stilts!"

"Lady stilts? MISAKA asks in confusion."

"High heel shoes," Weiss explained.

"OH!" Last Order's eyes widened. "MISAKA always wanted a pair, but Accelerator kept telling MISAKA she was too young, MISAKA says sadly." A sparkle glinted in the corner of Weiss's eye.

"Depending on how long you will remain with us," Weiss commented. "I don't see any reason why we couldn't get you a pair, even one you might grow into. Maybe you could show Ruby how to be an adult."

"I am an adult!" Ruby cried out. "I drink milk and slay Grimm!"

"Don't fret, Ruby, MISAKA states in her best impression of a mature voice. MISAKA will still be your friend, even when MISAKA surpasses you on the road to be an adult." Ruby's mouth fell open and every other girl tried to muffle their laughter. The sight of Last Order puffing her chest out and looking superior, while Ruby looked dumbstruck at her proclamation, was one of the funniest things they ever saw, even Jaune and Ren looked amused.

"So," Jaune finally asked. "Do we still need to leave or…" He left the question open.

"Yep," Yang told him. "You see, that was a reminder. This talk is about something else. Ruby mentioned something earlier today I could not let go." Ruby's eyes widened and she turned to Yang.

"I just remembered," Ruby said hastily. "Jaune said he would go to the forge with me this evening, so I can't stay." Jaune raised an eyebrow and Ruby tried to run out of the room, but Yang was expecting something like this to happen. She reached over and grabbed Ruby's cloak, which caused Ruby to fall and land on her back.

"She must have remembered I was planning to talk to her and wanted you to be a distraction, Lady Killer," Yang told Jaune. "You and Ren go have some guy time. Us girls need to talk about the fact Ruby likes a boy. I need a name and what he did."

"Let's go, Ren," Jaune muttered quickly. Ren instantly nodded in agreement and they slipped out of the room. Neither of them wanted to be in the same room with Yang, if she found out who Ruby likes.

"Cowards!" Ruby yelled after them. "Save me!"

"Yang scares us!" Jaune's voice slipped into the room as the door closed behind him. Yang crossed her arms and grinned.

"Okay, sis," Yang spoke to Ruby calmly. "Spill the beans."

"I have no idea what you mean," Ruby answered, but diverted her eyes.

"Hard way it is then," Yang said and turned on a desk lamp. She pointed it against Ruby, while Nora turned off the overhead lights.

"I haven't been on this side of an interrogation for a long time!" Nora cheered. "Can I be the bad cop?"

"If Pyrrha consents to be the good cop," Yang replied. "Then it's fine. You two complement each other nicely."

"What does that make you?" Weiss asked.

"I'm the judge, executioner, jury, executioner, and, if needed, executioner," Yang said.

"You seemed to have said executioner more than once, MISAKA points out."

"Best part of the job," Yang laughed and then cracked her knuckles.

"What am I then?" Weiss questioned. "The defense attorney?"

"Nope," Yang answered with an evil grin. "In the Sun Dragon Court, there is no defense, only judgement."

"Why did you send the guys out?" Pyrrha asked. "This really isn't a girl's only thing."

"Well," Yang said slowly, choosing her words carefully. "There is a chance Ruby may like one of them, so I figured you and Nora would like to hear this, plus we don't want them to know either."

"I understand," Pyrrha replied and nodded her head. Her eyes flashed for a moment and her smile seemed slightly colder. All the girls turned toward Ruby, even Weiss couldn't hold back her own interest on who Ruby could possibly like. Last Order only joined in because everyone else was doing it.

"There is nowhere to run," Yang told Ruby slowly. "You might as well give me his name."

Ruby gulped and determinedly kept her mouth shut, as her friends, sister, and Weiss all ganged up on her.

* * *

Jaune felt a little guilty when he heard Ruby call out for him to save her, but he couldn't stand against Yang, especially if Nora was on her side. Whoever Ruby liked was sure to feel Yang's wrath. Since Ruby was fifteen and two years younger than everyone else, Yang was rather protective of her, which was good and bad. Good that anyone with ill intentions was too scared to approach, but that also meant anyone who actually liked Ruby couldn't approach either. This allowed her barely any interactions with boys. Jaune and Ren were allowed to talk to her, because Yang never saw Jaune as a threat and Ren and Nora seemed to have a thing. They didn't admit it, but Jaune had a feeling if someone tried to date either one of them, the other would step in.

"Since it's just us," Jaune said to Ren, as they entered their room. "And the girls will be occupied for a bit, I was wondering if you could help me with something or at least give me some advice."

"Sure," Ren replied. "On what subject?"

"Semblances."

"Interesting topic," Ren commented. "What brought this on?"

"We were talking about Last Order and Accelerator's city developing abilities similar to our Semblances," Jaune explained. "And it had me thinking. Ruby has speed, Weiss has glyphs, Blake has her copies, Yang can hit harder, and Nora has electricity absorption. I'm sure Pyrrha has hers unlocked, but she doesn't want to share it and you won't tell me yours either." Ren smiled.

"I told you if you guessed it, I would let you know if you were correct."

"I'm curious," Jaune admitted. "But I was hoping you would have any tips on how to actually unlock my Semblance."

"I'm not sure," Ren mumbled as he started thinking. He sat on his bed before continuing. "Everyone's Semblances are unique to the individual and can require different stimuli to activate. Some can be hereditary though, I think Weiss's family has the glyph Semblances."

"That's what I thought," Jaune sighed and flopped down on his bed. "There can't be any shortcuts to something like that."

"I could teach you a little bit about meditation," Ren offered. "It will help you with Aura control. Even though you have a lot, you aren't the most proficient."

"Thanks." Jaune rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't mean that as an insult. The more Aura one has, the harder it can be to control. Think of a river. It can be easier to divert smaller ones than large ones. I believe if you have greater control over your Aura, you might be able to start understanding your Semblance."

"Because Aura is a part of ourselves?" Jaune asked, as he remembered some of Pyrrha's earlier explanations. "Understanding and controlling it would be like me learning about myself?"

"Precisely."

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt. At least I'm not going to be on the receiving end of Nora's hammer."

"That's Plan B if this fails."

"When did you start having jokes?" Jaune asked in disbelief. "Who are you and what have you done with Ren?"

"I am a very funny person," Ren replied in a deadpanned voice. He and Jaune stared at each other for a moment, before Jaune burst out laughing and Ren smirked slightly. "Okay, Jaune. I'm going to teach you the basics, so hopefully you can do this on your own if you find yourself having free time." Jaune nodded. "First, I want you to try to clear your mind…"

* * *

It was incredibly late when Blake finally made it back to Beacon. Instead of trying to go through the locked front doors, which was sure to be monitored, she snuck across the yard until she ended up on the ground directly beneath her room. From there, she easily scaled the wall and reached her room's window. _Please be unlocked,_ she thought desperately. After the day she had, she expected everything to turn against her. To her relief, it was unlocked and the lights were off, which meant her team had gone to bed. She snuck in and closed the window, without the slightest bit of noise.

 _What happened here?_ Blake thought to herself. Being a Faunus, she had near perfect night vision, so it was like the lights were on. A desk had been flipped over, some rope remained on the ground, and a couple chairs were overturned. A lamp had fallen onto the floor and the lightbulb had broken, but someone had cleaned up the glass. Blake then saw three lumps in her teammates' bed, so everyone was here. She sighed and snuck into her bed, which luckily was on the bottom one of hers and Yang's bunkbeds. She curled up under the covers, enjoying the softness of her mattress. _I should be able to get a couple hours of sleep before Ruby wakes me up in the morning when she sees me. I hope they understand it was a spur of a moment thing. Someone needs to be told about that boy, but whom?_

Before her thoughts could run wild, exhaustion took hold and Blake fell asleep.

She did not have any crazy dreams.

There was nothing about her and the boy she met.

It definitely did not involve them reenacting a scene from Ninjas of Love.

She needed a restful night's sleep, because tomorrow was going to be an extremely hectic day.

Especially since a white haired boy was regaining consciousness.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **Okay mortals, Accelerator is finally going to wake up in the next chapter. I'm sure he will watch his mouth around everyone and not destroy Beacon. Probably…**


	7. Explanations

**The moment so many people have been waiting for. The chapter Accelerator awakens. Part of me wanted to say, you have been pranked, but I want you guys to think I'm honest until a really important scene when I can laugh and yell out, I LIED! When this happens, I won't tell you. Forever wonder if that moment will ever come to pass or if that moment is actually the lie. For the ship names I mentioned in the last chapter, you guys are really creative. I have decided to keep the list updated at the end of the chapter rather than the beginning. If someone comes up with a good name for a crossover pairing, it will be added. Like most of the ship names, you can have multiple ones. (Lancaster, Rose Arc, etc.) A person I know volunteered to try to draw a Weiss X Accelerator picture for my cover. Have to wait to see if his skills can pay the bills, haha. There seems to be a lack of RWBY X Index crossover art.**

 **KisaragiKei: Do you have a name for Blake x Accelerator? Ruby and Last Order team up to use their pouts to get everything they want, omg. No one can resist it. Accelerator X Yang or Ruby would be fun, but the situation will have to be right to raise that flag.**

 **jordanlink7856: I really wish I could take credit for Fistbump, but someone else came up with that. There is one possible scenario I envisioned that could trigger the Yang flag, but Accelerator probably has a better shot when Yang finds out her flirting doesn't work on him and she gets obsessed.**

 **AltEden: Touma always has a harem, but he has to fight Jaune for one in this world. I enjoy Blake as a character a lot too, which is why I made her meet Touma first. Accel and Weiss both had difficult childhoods where you can say they were being used and manipulated by adults. They would have some kind of understanding. Short fuse isn't that bad, but Trigger Happy seems to be someone who focuses more on guns. The first one will be added to the list.**

 **Memento Mori - The Truth: Accelerator wakes up and Nora pops out from under the bed singing "It's Happening!" Accelerator looks at her and she waves before walking out of the hospital room.**

 **Azezal: They might, but there's so many Grimm for them to kill.**

 **dickythamrin077: Everything is merging together perfectly. Now the plot can grow into a series of misunderstandings, violence, and fights.**

 **Dead Salvation: Everything happens at its own pace.**

 **The Rupture: I'm still thinking about Arc's Semblance. I have a list and many have been used already. (Not using time travel.) We only have a small glimpse in canon what it could be, so I will base it off that.**

 **Nicetoderp: Okay, that is good. Added to bottom.**

 **Guest: I kind of want to avoid calling every pair with Touma dragon. It just seems kind of lazy. Though I do accept the one with Yang because of what her name means. Black Rose is also acceptable since I really don't have any good names for Touma X Ruby.**

 **WiliamZ0: My other crossover probably won't be updated for a long time, if ever, for various reasons. Kami-yan Disease affects all who come into contact with him. I actually have the scene where the invisible thing pops out and what people think it is already. Accelerator's description of Touma is always a laugh.**

 **spoony285: Accepted and added below.**

 **Panzer4life: Nora will not help because she will be yelling for Accelerator to break Cardin's legs and Accelerator will be more than happy to oblige.**

 **FireDusk: Bad luck was the original name for them and I added that to the list.**

 **Guest: Well if she didn't say it, everyone would comment that she had them.**

 **EvsVsz: I learned to like Blake after reading quite a few fanfics with her. She's really interesting to write if you go into thoughts and actions over just her words. Remember, they are all hormone riddled teenagers, not all relationships will last and weird things can happen to bring unlikely people together. Nine Lives refers to Touma in the way no matter how many times you think he is down, he always seems to survive. I like the Illusion Breaker name for Emerald x Touma. I actually did the perspectives on purpose. I am not going to show Touma's perspective until later when he meets a specific person. Last Order is to act as a link between worlds so the RWBY cast can have a basic understanding when Accelerator wakes up. He is now awake and will get plenty of scenes.**

 **Shadow dark the hedgehog: Accelerator is one of the best characters. The Dark Hero.**

 **shiroryuu01: Sanity Dragon isn't bad, but it just doesn't feel right.**

 **Adv: Touma will shake things up for sure. He and Jaune can exchange notes.**

 **RPGPersona: Road Rage is so good and was added the moment I saw it. There is a reason I really don't like black rose dragon and it involves motorcycles. Blake meeting Touma went exactly as planned and Kami has begun to spread his disease. It also gives him a link into Beacon. Team RWBY does not know that Last Order wears the pants in her relationship with Accelerator. That saying from Yang to Ruby bothered me forever. I knew it was from somewhere and could not remember. I think it might have been from Danny Phantom. Man, I'm dating myself here, but I saw that show as a kid. Still debating on Jaune's Semblance, nothing in stone yet.**

 **SpiderhunterXXX: It leaves you wanting more.**

 **Kuvukiland: Many deaths will follow.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: It was there, but Blake was too busy trying NOT TO DIE to bother listening to blabbing from someone else. Learning about Touma won't help if you can't find him.**

 **Artyom-Dreizehn: Can totally sprinkle those in.**

 **Crimson Miles: Nothing is set in stone, but I am leaning toward them a little bit. Things can change easily thought.**

 **Guest: Nora will want Accelerator to teach her how to make Ursa fly.**

 **I'm A Random Guy: As long as I like the story, it will be updated.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

"BLAAAAKE!"

Ruby always liked getting up earlier than the rest of her teammates. Yang would sleep until noon if given the chance and Ruby had been used to being the one to make her get up on time. Weiss was more punctual, but even she wasn't necessarily a morning person, until she had her coffee. When Ruby woke up and bounded out of her top bunk to start the brand new day with a smile, she saw a sight that only increased her enthusiasm. There was a lump in the bunk below Yang's and Ruby noticed a familiar black bow and hair sticking out. Unable to contain her excitement, she had yelled out. Her response was filled with groans and complaints from her teammates.

 _Too early for this,_ Blake thought, but groaned out loud. She pulled the covers over her head to try to indicate she wanted to sleep. She knew it was futile, but she _really_ wanted to sleep more.

"You better have a good explanation for shouting so early in the morning, Ruby," Weiss snapped and opened her eyes. She had woken up with a shock and missed exactly what Ruby said.

"What is it?" Yang mumbled and tried to rub the sleep from her eyes as she sat up, Her hair was all over the place and it usually took her a good forty five minutes to get it in order due to the volume. "I wanted to sleep late."

"Sleep later, slackers!" Ruby told Yang and Weiss. "Blake has returned!"

"Blake?!" Weiss and Yang echoed and that news woke them up. Weiss jumped out of bed and Yang swung herself down to stare at the bunk below, upside down.

"It is!" Yang shouted. Blake muttered something in response, but no one heard it.

"Where have you been?" Ruby asked and tugged at the blankets covering her. Blake held firm and the sheets wouldn't budge. "Weiss, how about some help?" Before Weiss could move, Yang landed down next to Ruby.

"I got this," Yang announced and grabbed the covers. "Kitty has some explaining to do." Yang was physically the strongest of the four. She proved it by yanking the covers off Blake in one fluid motion, leaving the poor girl lying out in the open. Blake opened one eye grudgingly and stared at her roommates.

"You couldn't let me sleep a little longer?" she asked irritated.

"Don't give us that attitude," Weiss reprimanded her. "You didn't let us know where you were yesterday and then you snuck in during the middle of the night? What are we supposed to think?"

"We were worried about you," Ruby added.

"Spill the deets," Yang ordered. "I want to know where you have been." She grinned. "It was with Sun, right?" Under the watchful eyes of her friends, Blake was going to have to tell them. She sat up and yawned. It had been a long night for her. She had to sneak through Grimm infested territory, over the wall of Vale, and ditch the White Fang clothes before grabbing new ones.

"I wasn't with Sun," Blake hissed. Sun was a good person, but she felt kind of weird how fast he took a liking to her. It was like he only wanted to get to know her because they were both Faunus. "I messaged you what happened Friday night. I lost track of time reading and missed the last Bullhead. I grabbed a room at a motel for a place to sleep that night. Sun was not involved."

"That's all well and good," Weiss stated and crossed her arms. "And we appreciated the heads-up, but that doesn't explain why you didn't come back until tonight. There was an entire day unaccounted for." Weiss frowned and stared at Blake closely, looking for any signs that Blake was about to lie. "There were plenty of opportunities to let us know you were okay."

"We would have contacted you first," Ruby added. "But stuff happened to us yesterday. Oh yeah, we have so much to tell you after you tell is what you have been up to."

"Spill it," Yang finished. "You promised us you would stop keeping secrets. You and I are partners, so when you disappear, I worry."

"Okay," Blake relented. "I'm sorry for worrying you and I'm going to tell you everything." She frowned and rubbed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger. "I'm not even sure how some of what I witnessed is possible, so I might not be able to answer everything."

"What you witnessed?" Ruby asked.

"Let me start from the beginning," Blake explained. "I was actually heading back from my motel room, when I heard some people talking about the White Fang." She grew silent when three pairs of eyes widened.

"Blake…" Yang trailed off warningly.

"I was only planning to listen," Blake reassured her quickly. "Then they mentioned a meeting was happening shortly. I was only planning to listen to gather-…"

"No!" Weiss shouted at her and stuck a finger in her face. "We know how important this is to you, so we promised not to stop you, but you also promised us you wouldn't rush off on your own like that without letting us know. Their organization is dangerous, you saw that on the docks. Now, Torchwick is somehow leading them in stealing dust and you are still running off on your own! You could have been killed!"

"But I wasn't!" Blake protested. "I didn't seek this out, it fell in my lap."

"Weiss," Ruby said softly. She wanted to resolve the fight as quickly as possible, so they could learn everything that happened. "Blake made an error in judgment, but we need to wait until she is finished. You know Blake is capable of taking care of herself and she hasn't been stressing over them as much lately. I probably would have rushed off after them if I heard Torchwick being mentioned." Weiss huffed and backed away slightly from Blake.

"Continue," Yang ordered with a wave of her hand.

"I had to make a choice," Blake muttered. "There was only a short time until the meeting took place. I called my locker to the city, but then I made the decision not to contact you." Weiss opened her mouth angrily and even Yang scowled, but Blake continued on quickly to explain herself. "The reason I did so was because I knew you would all want to follow. There wasn't any time. You wouldn't know where to go and, by the time you got there, I doubt we would be in the same location. It would cause you more worry. I admit I made the mistake of not telling you I would be late, so I'm sorry about that."

"I… can accept that reasoning," Weiss finally said. "And thank you for admitting your mistake."

"So, what did you find out?" Ruby asked. "Was it big?"

"I am glad I snuck into their meeting," Blake admitted. "What I found, I'm not sure how to explain it, but I'm rushing things." Ruby was staring at her with such intensity, so she decided to skip over some of the minor details. "It wasn't so much a meeting though, but a checkpoint. We moved out right after changing into their uniforms. We ended up in a loading dock and started to prepare dust for shipment." Her expression darkened. "Torchwick was there." The other girls gasped. "Along with two others. One was a pink, white, and brown girl and the other was a pretty average looking boy with spiky black hair. The girl was called Neo and, from what the other members told me, she was incredibly dangerous and Roman's enforcer."

"An enforcer?" Weiss laughed. "That doesn't sound like one."

"I don't know," Yang pointed out. "Size doesn't matter in terms of skill, look at Ruby."

"Thanks-… hey!" Ruby changed direction. "I'm not small!"

"Quiet, squirt," Yang said with a smirk. "Blake's explaining herself." Ruby muttered darkly about milk and being an adult under her breath. "What about the boy?"

"This is where this story gets interesting," Blake muttered. "But I'll get to him in a moment. After we loaded the dust, Torchwick informed us we would be delivering it outside the wall."

"Outside?" Ruby and Yang asked together, while Weiss frowned.

"Where there are tons of Grimm?" Yang added. "Torchwick is pretty skilled, but I doubt he and some White Fang members could stealthily travel through Grimm territory."

"I wasn't the only one who thought he was insane," Blake continued dryly. "Everyone was about to mutiny." She took a deep breath and looked at the others. "This is going to sound weird, but I need an honest answer to this question." The other girls nodded. "Have you ever seen a Grimm not attack when it could? Maybe like it fears someone?"

"When Crescent Rose and I entered the battlefield," Ruby bragged. "All Grimm tremble before us!"

"Seriously," Blake said in a monotone.

"Well," Ruby amended. "Maybe they might just regret it." Ruby had killed a lot of Grimm with her beloved scythe, but Grimm seemed to want to keep challenging her. She made them regret it, but they would not learn.

"I've seen a few Ursai try to crawl away after I break several of their bones," Yang admitted. "But even they would try to strike me if I had my back to them." Her weapons were her fists and gloves, so Grimm she faced would be struck with blunt force. It wasn't as clean compared to a blade, but it worked for her. Her Semblance allowed her to increase her power when she took a hit, so being up close and personal was her style.

"Pack-type Grimm like Beowolves can sometimes have an Alpha," Weiss pointed out. "If you kill it and enough of the others, the remaining ones will sometimes retreat rather than be killed, unless you are really injured. It's not really a higher plane of thought like being scared of us though, more of a survival instinct." Blake nodded at their responses.

"Torchwick lead a small convoy of vehicles outside the walls," Blake told them. "And… he found a way to keep Grimm back."

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked.

"They wouldn't come anywhere near the trucks if we stuck together," Blake explained. "Like they kept a good sixty feet away or more." The girls' eyes widened and they were temporarily speechless, so Blake took the opportunity to continue. "We actually ran into a Goliath standing in the middle of our route and Torchwick didn't make us turn. We moved straight at it, and it backed off! The Goliath even knocked down a tree or two trying to stay away."

"Impossible," Yang mumbled.

"Umm," Ruby asked. "What's a Goliath?"

"It is a massive Grimm that congregates near large settlements," Weiss explained. "They are very old and some scholars think they have begun to develop a modicum amount of intelligence. They don't seem to approach the actual settlements though. Not only are they several stories tall, their hide is supposed to be like armor." Then she turned to Blake. "It retreated? Without a fight?" Blake nodded.

"You should have seen the panic it instilled when we spotted it," Blake laughed dryly. "And then Torchwick ordered us to charge right at it. When it moved out of the way, well, the White Fang no longer doubts him now, which is bad news for us."

"What happened next?" Yang asked, her undivided attention now on Blake.

"We traveled to a plateau for a Bullhead to pick up the dust," Blake continued. "That's when Torchwick decided to reveal how he kept the Grimm away."

"Oh!" Ruby exclaimed. "It was that boy you mentioned, right?" Everyone turned and stared at her. "She mentioned him and said that it was the interesting part…" Her voice got softer and she looked at the ground, as she tapped her index fingers together.

"Don't be stupid," Weiss sighed. "How could a person do something like-…?"

"It was the boy's doing," Blake confirmed. Weiss snapped her mouth shut and Ruby looked up excitedly. "He told me his name was Touma Kamijou, though Torchwick only told everyone his last name, and his Semblance seems to keeps Grimm back. They act like they are afraid of him. I first saw him in the warehouse and noticed him staring at me. Then there is the fact-…"

"Wait!" Yang interrupted. Everyone turned to her. "Let me get this straight. A boy around our age kept staring at you and introduced himself?"

"Yes," Blake admitted. "But-…"

"He totally was into you, Blakey," Yang pointed out and started laughing. Blake opened her mouth to argue, but she really couldn't. He kind of admitted that to her.

"I can't believe this," Weiss sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Don't tell us you are planning to date him!" Ruby gasped and flailed her arms. "You can't go out with a terrorist. Imagine all the problems-…"

"I'm not!" Blake interrupted loudly, but her partner kept at it.

"Did you use your Bellabooty?" Yang asked curiously and tilted her head so she could stare at Blake's butt. "I know that thing was powerful, but to hypnotize a random stranger, nice job!" She gave a thumbs up.

"Stop!" Blake half-shouted. "Regardless of what he was thinking," her cheeks flushed slightly at the thought, "the point is there was more to him than looks that attracted my attention." Yang started to open her mouth, but Blake was having none of that. "He didn't have an Aura!" She huffed for a moment while her team went silent at the unexpected announcement.

"What?!" they finally gasped.

"You mean his Aura wasn't unlocked and he had a Semblance?" Weiss asked to clarify. "Because-…"

"He had no Aura at all," Blake amended. "Unlocked or otherwise." There was another moment of silence.

"How?" Ruby finally whispered. "Aura is a sign a soul exists. If he doesn't have one, is he a Grimm?" Yang and Weiss kept glancing back and forth between the two.

"No," Blake replied and shook her head. "At least, I don't think so. We talked a bit… after I made a mistake."

"Mistake?" Yang asked. "You didn't act on his advances, right?" Blake scowled at her.

"His… interest… caused the enforcer Neo to take notice," Blake explained through gritted teeth. "A few other members mentioned he was her 'boy toy' and not to bother him."

"Boy toy?" Ruby asked with a blank expression. "Is that like a close friend you play with? If so, since Jaune is my closest male friend, is he my… mumph?" She was muffled as Yang covered Ruby's mouth with her hand.

"No!" she snapped at her sister. "It's something bad and you should never repeat that to anyone. If you ever say that about someone, I'm breaking your toy." Ruby tried to argue, but Yang kept her hand firmly placed against Ruby's mouth.

"Neo noticed he was looking at me," Blake continued and deliberately avoided Yang's expression by glancing over at Weiss. "She must have mentioned it to Torchwick, who noticed I was the same Faunus from the docks. He waited until we were on the plateau before revealing me. That way, I was surrounded by White Fang. If I managed to escape them, I had to get through a wall of Grimm."

"This is why we told you to stop doing this on your own," Weiss sighed. "You obviously escaped, but how?"

"I actually didn't," Blake admitted and Ruby gasped. "I was planning to use the boy to escape, but then he touched me and everything changed." She shivered at the thought of what happened when Touma's hand negated her Aura. However, her roommates thought of something completely different because of her pause and they all gasped. Yang rushed forward and hugged her surprise partner out of nowhere.

"It will be okay, Blake," Yang whispered reassuringly. "You are safe now and we are here for you." Her hair was beginning to stand up on end and her body was generating a lot of heat.

"When we find that boy," Weiss whispered in cold fury. "We are going to castrate him slowly and painfully."

"He bad touched Blake?" Ruby cried in outrage. "Dad said if someone ever tried to bad touch me, I was supposed to use Crescent Rose and take their family jewels. I don't condone stealing, but this time that guy has gone too far!" Blake blinked and realized her timing at getting lost in thought was terrible.

"Woah!" Blake had to shout to get their attention. "That did not happen. You are misunderstanding everything!" Yang let go of Blake and looked at her closely.

"So he did not touch you like that?" Yang asked to clear everything up.

"No!"

"You need to be clearer then!" Yang yelled. "When you trailed off like that… I thought you might have been…" Blake did something she usually didn't do. She actually hugged Yang back.

"Thank you for your concern," Blake said, now in control. Weiss and Ruby sighed in relief. "But I was thinking about how his Semblance's secondary use is based on touch."

"Semblances don't have multiple powers," Weiss pointed out. "Each one is a single unique skill."

"Maybe it's all connected somehow," Blake replied and actually threw up her hands. "I can't explain it. With a single touch, my Aura completely vanished and Neo was able to knock me out in an instant."

"Vanished?" Ruby asked.

"Like he broke through it all in one hit?" Yang tried to clarify.

"No, my Aura just vanished when his hand grazed me." Blake struggled to explain the sensation. "All my strength, everything I have been used to over the years provided by my Aura was gone. In all sense, I should have been in an Aura exhaustion state, but I was fine. It felt like I was a normal person again. Without my defense, a single blow knocked me out. It's hard to put the feeling into words."

"Impossible," Weiss stated. "Aura is a part of our very souls. What you described sounds like that guy can suppress or destroy them. You also mentioned he has no Aura of his own." Her gaze darkened. "It almost sounds like he could be a Grimm disguised as a human." Blake tilted her head slightly in thought.

"I don't see any reason for you to lie to us, Blakey," Yang admitted. "But this sounds so far out there."

"How did you escape?" Ruby asked, wide-eyed.

"Surprisingly," Blake continued. "Torchwick or one of the White Fang didn't kill me on the spot. They bound me instead and left me in a vehicle while they unloaded. Touma Kamijou came over and talked to me for a few minutes, before he loosened my bindings after I warned him about Torchwick. I think he must have come from a village without Faunus, because he didn't seem to possess a lot of common knowledge. I feel Torchwick might have tricked Touma into helping him."

"That sounds like him," Ruby complained. "He always acted like a smooth talker and doesn't care about anyone besides himself."

"You don't trust easily," Yang pointed out, after she turned to Blake. "Why do you think Torchwick tricked him?"

"He helped me escape when I was surrounded by Grimm," Blake stated. "I had the option of fighting Torchwick, Neo, and the White Fang, or flee and try to get through a mob of Grimm. I chose the latter. There was a moment I was about to die, when Touma rushed forward and chased all the Grimm away. He had told me his hand negates anything supernatural and this negation power might be what caused fear in the Grimm. They supposedly disappear with a touch. Once the Grimm were pushed back, I managed to get into the trees and disappear."

"Anything supernatural?" Weiss repeated. "Grimm, Aura, and maybe dust?" Blake shrugged.

"I couldn't really test the last one and everything else was observation."

"Wow," Yang muttered and sat down. "Not sure what I think about that guy, but he did save you, so he can't be all bad."

"The question now is," Weiss spoke up. "What do we do with this information?"

"Maybe let Professor Ozpin know?" Ruby suggested.

"Hey, Weiss Cream," Yang suddenly said. "You think this guy could be related to our guests?"

"Your guests?" Blake asked curiously.

"I wouldn't be all surprised," Weiss answered, after a pause and a nod. "They have unusual powers without unlocked Aura, so this Touma Kamijou character could easily be one of them. His ability seems a little… too convenient though…"

"I feel like I'm missing something important," Blake mumbled.

"… A power that destroys Grimm? From what Last Order told us, there are no Grimm in their world."

"Oh!" Ruby exclaimed. "Blake, you totally have to meet Last Order. She's a kid we found and brought back here and it turned out Team JNPR had been looking for her for someone else. She's really nice and funny and can shoot electricity!" Blake blinked and turned to Ruby, Weiss, and Yang in order.

"Will someone explain what you three have been talking about?" she asked.

"You will love this," Yang laughed. "You aren't the only one who was busy yesterday. Wait till you hear this story. It is out of this world…" Ruby and Weiss booed, as Yang explained yesterday's events.

Once she finished, Blake booed her joke too.

* * *

 _Where the hell am I?_

Accelerator opened his eyes and found himself in a white room. Recognizing a hospital recovery room, he flinched. He didn't like hospitals, to many unpleasant memories. He sat up and rubbed his head. The dull pounding was making it hard to think straight. There were several bandages wrapped around his head and he tore them off in frustration before thinking it though. There wasn't any blood on them and he crushed them within his hand. He sat up and stretched to check out his joints. A mirror on the wall caught his eye and he moved off the bed to take a look. He was dressed in a green gown, but otherwise appeared fine. He scratched his neck automatically and froze. His eye darted toward the collar on his neck and the mirror confirmed his suspicion.

The battery was gone.

"What the fuck!" he shouted. This was an impossible situation for him. The collar on his neck allowed him to connect to the Misaka Network, the wireless network created by nearly ten thousand clones. This connection gave his brain the processing capacity to perform all basic motor functions, such as walking, since he received a bullet to the head when he protected Last Order. Being able to perform advance calculations also was the core of his ability. Abilities in Academy City were based on mathematical calculations, so the smarter the ability user, the stronger they were. Accelerator was the number one level 5, also known as the strongest. With the battery missing, he shouldn't be able to connect and thus be unable to walk. In fact, he shouldn't be able to perform even basic motor functions. Counting to ten on his fingers was impossible in that state. Accelerator held out his hand and accessed his ability. The air in his palm began to rotate as he altered the vectors. His eyes widened in shock.

 _Think,_ he told himself. _After the damn hero and I grabbed the brat, that bastard said something about time and space. There was a flash of green light and I ended up in a forest. I started losing processing power when…_ He frowned to himself. _Those black and white things showed up._ Regardless of their appearance, it wasn't like he had trouble with them, until he was about to collapse from losing access to the network. Things got blurry here. _I remember a blonde idiot and some others killing the creatures. I asked him something, but what was it?_ His eyes widened. _The brat! He was supposed to find her for me. I swear if he didn't, I will slaughter-…_ His thoughts were interrupted when a woman dressed in white rushed into the room.

"I heard shouting!" the nurse gasped. "Is everything okay… sir, you shouldn't be out of bed!" Accelerator turned slightly to examine her with one eye. His expression remained neutral with just a hint of irritation.

"Where am I and what did you do to me?" he asked coldly. Once he knew what happened, he could plan his next step. The guy he had talked to obviously brought his unconscious form to the hospital, so asking why he was here was pointless.

"You are in the med bay at Beacon Academy," the nurse told him. "A couple of our students brought you here, but you shouldn't be up and about. We just finished healing your brain injury and you should be resting."

"Healed… my injury?" Accelerator repeated surprised. That took a moment to process. Even Academy City's technology couldn't heal the brain tissue damaged by the bullet. The collar and network had been a work around. He turned back toward the mirror and ignored the woman, who continued to talk. A hand brushed away his bangs and he saw the tiny scar from his injury on his forehead was gone. _What kind of technology does this place have? Beacon Academy, huh? Never heard of it, but that's not important. Time to get dressed, find the brat, and take her home. My ability only makes that easier._ "Where are my clothes?" Accelerator impatiently asked the woman.

"They are in the other room, but you need to wait until the doctor-…"

"Bring them here," Accelerator ordered her and increased his glare. If she had known who he was, she probably would have screamed and run. He was not in the mood to talk and had to find the brat before she wound up in trouble.

"Sir, you need to sit back down." Her devotion to her job was admirable, but irritated the hell out of Accelerator. He rolled his eyes and reached a hand over to the mirror. He actually felt a twinge of sympathy for the woman, who was only doing her job, but he had his own priorities. There was a language that broke even the most dedicated person.

Violence.

The mirror shattered and sent glass across the room. The woman let out a scream.

"Looks like I can't stay here," Accelerator told her with a sneer. "Glass everywhere. Your cleanup crew should be fired." He took a step forward and the stone ground beneath him cracked. "Now, you can get my clothes, or I will get them myself." The woman's face drained of color and she stepped back as he approached. Her words seemed to get stuck in her throat. However, she was saved by the arrival of a man behind her sipping a mug of coffee.

"I would appreciate it if you could avoid destroying my school," Ozpin commented lightly, as he stepped up next to the woman.

"Headmaster!" she gasped.

"Please go and collect his clothes," Ozpin told her. "I will take full responsibility." The woman nodded and took off. Accelerator's eyes narrowed when they met Ozpin's eyes. It took only a fraction of a second for him to understand. Ozpin was not a naïve adult. He had been involved in something Accelerator was used to, the darkness hidden in the shadows away from the general population. Ozpin's expression could not hide the tragedies he had seen from his gaze. It was something Accelerator could relate to though, and that meant their exchange would end up in one of two ways, blunt or full of secrets. He also had the feeling this man was not someone to trifle with, but he pushed that aside. Very few people could barely entertain him, let alone hope to win.

"Who are you?" Accelerator asked. He was a little on guard, mainly because his ability felt a little off. The calculations required were slightly more difficult, not much, but it was noticeable to him. The healing he received might not have been perfect.

"I am Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy. I have been monitoring your progress and rushed over here as soon as I heard you were about to wake up." He waited a moment for Accelerator to introduce himself, but a couple seconds passed and Ozpin continued. "I have good and bad news for you, Accelerator." Accelerator gave no outward sign saying how he felt about Ozpin knowing his name. "Most of which can't be discussed in a public location. Once you get dressed, we should talk in my office. Ah, here are your clothes." The woman had rushed back and put Accelerator's folded clothes on the bed, before making a hasty escape. Accelerator grabbed his shirt.

"I have something more important to do than talk," Accelerator snapped and started to throw on his clothes, regardless of the man still in the room.

"Do you mean finding your young female acquaintance?" Ozpin asked. Accelerator froze.

"What did you do to her?" Accelerator hissed and the temperature of the room dropped. "You have no idea-…"

"Last Order is currently in the company of a handful of my students," Ozpin told him. "They recently had what they refer to as a sleepover last night. She actually visited you yesterday to make sure you were okay too. I had promised to let her know when you woke up, but I do wish to speak to you privately first. If you are willing, of course. You may find yourself in an unusual situation." Accelerator raised an eyebrow, while Ozpin sipped his coffee. Finally, Accelerator sighed and rubbed his head.

"Your staff healed me," he said. "That should have been impossible. So I suppose hearing you out is the least I could do, unless I decide our conversation is a waste of time. Though, I want proof the brat is safe or you get nothing." Ozpin nodded and reached into his pocket to pull out his scroll, which Accelerator identified as a type pf cellphone he had not seen before. A second late, he saw a picture of Last Order riding the back of the tall blonde guy he had met in the forest.

"So that idiot found him," Accelerator muttered. "Wasn't sure I could believe in him."

"Mr. Arc takes his word very seriously," Ozpin told him. "He comes from a large family and is treating her like a younger sister until you return."

"I suppose so," Accelerator relented. "If anything happens to her though, I'm coming for you after I take care of him."

"I doubt that situation will arise." Accelerator finished dressing and they left the medical ward. "We could stop by the kitchen if you would like something to eat. It has been almost a day, since you arrived."

"Afterwards," Accelerator huffed. "I rather get our talk over with. Though, I won't say no to some coffee."

"I have a fresh pot in my office," Ozpin commented. "But it might be a little strong for you."

"Perfect." Accelerator followed him down the hall and two girls and two guys passed them after greeting Ozpin. They did glance at Accelerator for a moment as they passed. Accelerator only looked at them because one of them had a pair of rabbit ears sticking out of her hair. _Can't see why people like to wear those kinds of accessories. Pretty realistic though, they can move._ After traveling up an elevator, they finally arrived at Ozpin's office. While Ozpin walked over to his coffee machine, Accelerator moved toward the large window and looked out. _What the hell is this? I am definitely not in Academy City. It's a school surrounded by a forest. How far away did that self-proclaimed magician blast us?_ The sound of a mug being sat down on a table caused him to turn.

"How do you take it?" Ozpin asked.

"Black."

"Respectable." Ozpin slid the coffee across to him and Accelerator sipped it

He blinked.

"Too strong?" Ozpin asked and there was a hint of a smirk.

"No," Accelerator answered and determinedly kept his voice calm. The coffee he just drank, there was no other word for it, incredible. _What sludge have I been drinking up to now? My favorite brand might as well have been dirt._ He tried to keep his expression disinterested, but he could have sworn a light was shining on him. The coffee was like the nectar of the gods and now all other coffee was ruined for him. "Don't you have something more important to talk to me about?" He sat down across the table from Ozpin.

"Ah, yes," Ozpin said and leaned back in his chair. "I suppose I should start with the big news and work from there. You see Accelerator, when Mr. Arc and his friend Ms. Rose came into my office yesterday, they brought your young associate, Last Order." Accelerator nodded, pleased to learn how Ozpin knew his name. "I found out something interesting from her. Am I correct that she was right about you being from Academy City in Japan, which is located on Earth?"

"Yes," Accelerator acknowledged. "But what's the damn planet have to do with anything."

"I regret to inform you that you are on a world called Remnant," Ozpin explained. "It seems that you and Ms. Order have somehow been sent to our world." Accelerator blinked and then made a fist.

"I came here because you said you wanted to talk," Accelerator seethed. "And you throw this fucking shit at me? Are you retarded? Don't give me that crap and tell me what you were going to say!"

"Language, please," Ozpin replied calmly. "I can understand your frustration, but you saw signs of things your world does not contain, have you not? Before you met my students, did you know what those creatures were?"

"They were either dark matter clones or bioengineered abominations," Accelerator answered dismissively. "I have seen a lot of advanced technology."

"Those things are called Grimm," Ozpin said seriously and Accelerator frowned. "Creatures of destruction that pray on the light of this world."

"Fine," Accelerator huffed and then rolled his eyes. "I have seen some pretty messed up things in my life, including something people called an angel wipe out armies, so I'll bite. Where do these _Grimm_ come from?"

"That is a question humanity has been trying to answer for a long time," Ozpin replied and sipped his coffee. "There are many theories created throughout the years. The earliest human cultures believed the Grimm were animals possessed by evil spirits or even the tortured spirits of animals. Though, Grimm not resembling creatures have emerged. It is hard to understand something when you can't study it. You see, when Grimm die, they dissolve into smoke. If kept in captivity for too long, they will die."

"I take it you have your own theory then?" Accelerator asked.

"Why do you say that?"

"A couple reasons," Accelerator answered. "Rather than telling me one of the fake theories, you gave me a couple and then admitted they were wrong." His eyes narrowed. "This will go much easier if you just tell me what you know and let me draw my own damn conclusion."

"Very well," Ozpin agreed. He was impressed at the boy's deductive skills. "There is a story called, The Tale of Two Brothers. Two brothers existed on Remnant, long before humans or Grimm. They created both life and destruction. The older brother created water, plants, and wildlife during the day, while at night, the younger brother would discover his sibling's creations and become disgusted. He created drought, fire and famine to counter it. For a while, things were in balance, but then it became apparent life had a strong will to endure. Thus, the younger god created the Creatures of Grimm. He designed them so that they would have an innate desire to destroy everything."

"Great," Accelerator sighed and leaned back in his chair bored. "Mythology. I get enough of that from the damn hero and nun, yet I suppose you can never escape it, when something has yet to be explained by science."

"Didn't you mention you fought an angel once?" Ozpin questioned with a smirk.

"Allegedly." Accelerator sipped his coffee. "I take it there is more to this story?"

"The older brother proposed a unique solution," Ozpin continued. "They would work together and create a masterpiece they could both be proud of. The younger brother agreed and the two gods wielded their power as one to create a creature that was gifted with knowledge, creation, destruction, and choice. Most importantly, this creature could choose to use their power for light or dark. Can you guess what was created?"

"Humanity." It was not a question.

"Correct." Ozpin stopped and looked curiously at her Accelerator. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Accelerator stated firmly, but it was a lie. Ozpin's description of humanity actually resonated with him. Accelerator was not a Saint by any means. He had killed many people in his life. At a young age, he developed his vector manipulation and quickly became an outcast due to it. People were either afraid or jealous of him. Trash kept attacking him hoping to get the title of the strongest for themselves, and they left broken and weeping. This weight slowly piled on his shoulders, as it became his daily life. He had eventually wanted power so great, that no one would be foolish enough to oppose him. In pursuit of that, he had joined an experiment to kill twenty thousand clones of another level 5. However, after killing slightly over ten thousand of them, he was stopped, by a single person who the city had considered the weakest among them.

Touma Kamijou, the one he usually referred to as the damn hero.

Accelerator had been defeated. After recovering and wandering around lost in thought, he met Last Order. Last Order had told him the clones had forgiven him and that it was thanks to his participation in the experiment, they had been born. Accelerator had not necessary been happy, but he had let her follow him home. Soon after, several people had tried to kidnap her and Accelerator fought them. His power had only been used up to that point to destroy and he didn't believe he could save people, but things changed that day. He had saved her from a virus that could have infected all the clones, but he paid a terrible cost for that act of bravery. He had not been able to protect himself from a bullet. That was what caused his brain injury and his reliance on the network.

Even after that, he had hurt and killed many people until he ended up in Russia. He was seeking treatment for Last Order because, even with all his power, he could not save her life from a strange ailment. Scientists in Academy City had sent a new type of clone to kill him and he had gone insane, almost killing everyone near him. Touma had to save him once again. Once his mind had been cleared, he managed to find a group of people who proclaimed they could use something outside of science, magic. Accelerator didn't really care what they called it, as long as they saved the girl while he fought the thing people called an angel. Something awoke within him after admitting he cared about her. Using the new power, he reflected golden light raining down from the sky that threatened the world below him. He had used his power to protect, proving the scientists back home wrong about him. "Just, remembering a few things," Accelerator finished.

"I see," Ozpin commented. He had recognized the look in Accelerator's eyes. They were full of regret and pain, yet there was a slight speck of hope. "I too have memories that well up unexpectedly. I saw the understanding in your eyes. It is sad to see one so young experience something so traumatic. We all make mistakes in our lives, some more costly than others."

"I understand that far more than you would believe," Accelerator mumbled. "I can hardly be considered naive and I don't live in a world with Grimm."

"Grimm have caused many young children to grow up faster than they should." Ozpin's eyes looked down at his mug for a moment and then he looked back up. "As much as I would like to say you and your friend are safe here, that would be a lie. We are fighting a war and losing, but the general populace can hardly be made aware of this."

"Why not?" Accelerator asked. "Wouldn't that make it easier to recruit or draft them, or force military rule. Based on my experience, the military would jump at this opportunity."

"You see that in Atlas," Ozpin explained. "But Vale would hardly allow that to happen. They are to use to freedom. The reason the populace is not informed of this is because Grimm are attracted to negative emotions, like fear and sadness. If the population grew fearful, what would happen?"

"Grimm from all over the area would rush in," Accelerator answered the obvious question. He didn't understand how Grimm could sense negative emotions, but he was in a different world supposedly, so he had to make some adjustments to what was considered normal. "I take it you have ways to fight them though?"

"Besides technology, which sounds like something you would be used to, we have two main resources at our disposal. Aura and Dust."

"And those are?"

"Dust is our main source of energy," Ozpin explained. "Dust is a naturally occurring, crystallized energy mined from the ground. Different colors have different properties, like fire, water, and electricity. We use it to power our homes, vehicles, and even weapons for the military and Hunters." Accelerator raised an eyebrow. "Hunters are people trained to fight Grimm. This school is a training ground for Hunters." Accelerator nodded. "Aura is the manifestation of our soul. Anyone with a soul can use Aura once it is unlocked." He leaned forward slightly. "Even you have it, which proves that you have a soul." Accelerator scoffed. "Unlocked Aura provides us with increased strength, a protective barrier, healing, and a Semblance. You might be familiar with the last one. Everyone with unlocked Aura has a Semblance once they discovered it. It is a unique ability for them. For example, speed, clones, or fire. I believe Ms. Order has an electrical power you refer to as an Ability? While you control Vectors?"

"Yes," Accelerator admitted. He didn't ask how Ozpin knew that because there was no doubt Last Order blabbed it to everyone. Instead, he held out his hand and the wind began to twist within. It was one of the simplest methods of showing his ability without destroying something. A small vortex appeared and a few papers blew off Ozpin's desk before he stopped. "This is just a taste, but so far you haven't done anything to worth destroying your office."

"I appreciate that," Ozpin thanked him. "Aura does have one more use though. When combined with dust, it allows us to use magic."

"Of course," Accelerator said sarcastically. "I'm just going to roll with this. It's no crazier than anything else you said today."

"Do you have anything you want to ask me?" Ozpin inquired. "I'm afraid I've been the one who has been going on and on."

"Let's see, you said this was a school for Hunters, right?" Ozpin nodded as confirmation. "In other words, this school is designed by you to create tools to fight Grimm?"

"I would prefer you phased that better," Ozpin sighed. "But, in a way, you are correct. Every one of them will be used to protect humanity from the Grimm threat. They chose this path themselves. We inspect each applicants' transcripts to ensure they meet the minimum standards, and then we have initiation. With a few exceptions on a case by case basis, we still require applicants to survive initiation before they join us."

"Sounds like you throw your prospects off a cliff into a Grimm infested pit," Accelerator commented. He actually appreciated Ozpin's bluntness slightly.

"In a manner of speaking," Ozpin replied, not betraying a single speck of emotion. Accelerator raised an eyebrow and then grinned.

"You actually do," he said and then laughed. "Wish I had gone to school here instead of back in my city."

"Your praise is appreciated," Ozpin told him with a smile. "Not everyone understands the importance of a landing strategy."

"Been there," Accelerator muttered with another bark like laugh. Jumping out of a plane and crashing into a building while causing an explosion could get addicting if one was not careful. He calmed down pretty quick after he swallowed another mouthful of coffee. "Anyway, next question. You mentioned we are in another world, do you have any idea on how to send us back?"

"Oh?" Ozpin asked and raised an eyebrow. "Are you accepting the fact you are in a different world?"

"I've seen some crazy shit before," Accelerator snapped. "So I'm trying to keep an open mind. Based on what I have seen and heard, it seems possible, no matter how unlikely."

"I see." Ozpin sighed and sat down his mug. "As of now, I do not have any idea how to send you back. I have only met one other person who said he was from another world and he disappeared without assistance." He stood up and walked to the window while Accelerator mumbled a couple profanities under his breath. "Ms. Order told me several things that allowed me to arrive to the conclusion you were from another world, but she did not know what happened shortly before you arrived. Perhaps you could tell me what you remember? It would help immensely getting you two home."

"I suppose I could tell you what I know," Accelerator agreed. "The damn hero and I-…"

"Damn hero?" Ozpin interrupted.

"A guy I know named Touma… damn what was his last name… Kamihou or something. We were chasing a man who called himself a magician. He used a different type of ability than what was invented in Academy City and several groups of people seem to call it magic, because they don't understand the science behind it. He had kidnapped Last Order for some experiment. He actually believed he could use her… unique ability… to become a god." Accelerator didn't trust Ozpin quite enough to go into details. However, Ozpin turned and frowned at his words. "The hero and I stopped him and I guess it broke whatever he was doing. A green light rained down from the sky and the next thing I knew, I'm in a forest."

"And whatever connection you had to your city for the choker disappeared?" Ozpin questioned. Accelerator didn't say anything and Ozpin sat back down. "Our staff examined your choker when you were brought in," he explained. "It was not receiving a signal of any kind."

"Yes." That was all Accelerator was going to say on the matter. That was one of the main reasons he started to believe he was in another world. The Misaka Network should have completely covered the Earth.

"This… magician," Ozpin continued. "What was special about him? What kind of power did he have?"

"He could manipulate water," Accelerator remembered. "And change the temperature of it easily enough to make ice or turn it to steam. Normal attack patterns, such as blades and jets. Why do you want to know?"

"I figured if you and Ms. Order had been sent here," Ozpin explained. "Then it is possible the magician and Mr. Kamihou also arrived."

"Huh." Accelerator thought about that for a moment. "That makes sense. The hero would definitely find himself involved in this somehow. He tends to stick his nose in other people's business."

"What does he look like? Does he have any defining traits?"

"Most of the time he has a clueless expression," Accelerator mumbled. "Always spots stupid spiky black hair and has the most bullshit ability if the crap he told me is true." Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "He said he can negate anything supernatural, whether science or the stuff called magic. My ability doesn't even work on him. If it holds true in your world, your Aura and Semblance won't work on him either."

"I see," Ozpin said softly and his brain started processing this information. The boy Qrow had told him about had to be this person. "I believe this young man is also in Vale."

"Really?"

"One of my contacts mentioned something similar to what you described," Ozpin explained. "The issue is, he seems to have made contact with a renowned criminal and are working together."

"Makes sense," Accelerator responded with a shrug and finished his coffee. Ozpin frowned at this.

"What do you mean? Is he someone we should be worried about?"

"Only if you oppose him," Accelerator answered amused and leaned forward. "He is a blasted hero at heart, even if he won't admit it, but it makes him easily manipulated with words. If this criminal learns he is from a different world and has even a modicum amount of intelligence and cunning, he will make the hero believe anything he wants, but that will come to bite him on the ass later."

"Oh?"

"Eventually, the hero will learn the truth. When that happens, he will do everything in his power to correct his mistake. This would not be the first time it has happened and I would hate to be the manipulator." He laughed and saw the slight confusion on Ozpin's face. "Heh, let me explain. In a normal argument or useless fight, he would easily be defeated. In a fight that matters, he will win. No matter what logic or rational says, he will win. He took on our entire world once for a single girl and won. I fought him three times and lost every time. Though, he cheated and used a rock in our last encounter. So, I'm going to warn you now. If you are trying to deceive me and you are actually on the wrong side of this war, do not cross him. You will lose."

"I will keep that in mind," Ozpin replied mildly and Accelerator was finding it hard to read the man's thoughts. "So I take it you have a long history with this young man."

"He showed me I was mistaken in my goals," Accelerator answered after a short pause. "I owe him a lot, more than I care to admit. I owe a lot of people for what I have done." He turned his gaze up. "I am not a good person. I have killed people before in the pursuit of power. My actions have harmed many and no matter how many good things I do, it is only interest on a debt I can never repay. It's kind of fitting a villain like me got sent into a world at war." Names were not mentioned, but Ozpin understood. Last Order had been a victim of Accelerator's actions and now Accelerator was watching her as a kind of redemption. Accelerator was surprised he revealed that much, but he might have been hyped up on the coffee.

"I can't say everything I have done in the past had a pleasant outcome either," Ozpin told Accelerator. "Many lives were lost because of my mistakes. The only thing we can do about the past is learn from it. The fact you try to do good now is a sign you have changed. I never give up on someone with potential. Beacon has allowed plenty of ex-criminals and terrorists in over the years when they want to change and grow."

"You sound like a couple adults I know," Accelerator huffed. "So what now?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you don't have a way to send us back," Accelerator explained. "What are you planning with us? I have to thank you for watching her while I was unconscious, but I can't see you continuing to help us for free. It's not like we have your currency."

"On the contrary," Ozpin corrected him. "I had already offered Ms. Order the opportunity to sit in on several classes with my students. She seems to have taken a shine to them. We didn't expect you to wake up for a couple days, so we had prepared for her. An extra bed for you will not pose a problem. We can hardly leave you two out in an unfamiliar world either. Our school is more than large enough to accommodate a couple extra people. Besides, this way if I receive any news on your friend, I can let you know."

"If she will be safe here," Accelerator mumbled, more to himself than Ozpin. "I can't see a problem staying for a few days. Give me an understanding of the world and some of this Aura stuff. You going to say I am a transfer student or something?"

"I could," Ozpin said in a tone that he had several ideas. "However, the fact your Aura is not unlocked and yet you have an ability that resembles our Semblances is going to cause some questions."

"Couldn't someone just unlock this Aura or something?" Accelerator asked. "It's not like I'm going to use it."

"That ceremony is considered very personal," Ozpin explained. "Usually done by a parent to child, master to apprentice, or lovers. We can simply say you are a unique case and have been admitted to Beacon when we discovered you. If you tell people you are from a small town outside the walls, there shouldn't be too many prying eyes."

"I'll have to make sure the brat is okay before I agree to anything." Accelerator leaned back and stared at the ceiling for a minute. "Question, if I pretend to be an exchange student, will I be able to fight these Grimm?"

"If your power is as strong as I am led to believe," Ozpin answered. "I see no problems. I'm curious as of why you would want to though?"

"Seems like a therapeutic use of my time," Accelerator said with a shrug. "Stress builds up and not many things can last long when I'm pissed. I also owe you guys for healing me." He pointed to his forehead with finger. "Then there is the fact the brat has been hanging out with your students. If she latches onto them and they explain what they do, she's going to want me to help out. There isn't much else to do for me. I have no clue how to travel between worlds and there is no telling how long we will be here. This seems like a way to earn money if we are forced to have an extended stay." He leaned forward in his chair. "I know this is the damn hero's fault somehow. When I see him, I'm going to shove…" His voice trailed off as he mumbled.

"You have some sound reasons," Ozpin said with a nod, but then grew serious. "But underestimating the Grimm is a deadly mistake. Kingdoms rise and fall, but yet our mortal enemy remains. They are monsters that haunt dreams and patiently wait for us to falter. Even during times of peace, we must be ever vigilant."

"I am no stranger to monsters," Accelerator hissed and leaned forward. "I have stared into the eyes of creatures born into darkness. The difference is, your monsters are not disguised with human skin." The two of them stared at each other in silence.

"So young," Ozpin finally sighed and turned to look out the window. "And yet your experiences surpass so many adults. You remind me of many students who pass through these walls. They are forced to grow up faster than life intended." He stared into space for a moment. "If only the world was as simple as your words made them out to be." There was a moment of silence.

"There are humans who have sided with the Grimm," Accelerator stated and Ozpin turned to look at him. "Which means Grimm are either not mindless or someone is controlling them." Ozpin continued to stare at him. He could have denied Accelerator's words, but such an action would be an insult to both of their intelligence. They both knew he was right and Ozpin began to understand how experienced and intelligent Accelerator really was.

"We all have a choice," he finally answered. "But we must also accept the consequences." He sighed and picked up his mug. He didn't speak until he finished it. "Now to fulfill my promise, would you like me to take you to where Ms. Order is? Team RWBY and JNPR should be enjoying breakfast by now."

"Actually," Accelerator suggested. "Could you avoid telling her I'm awake for a little bit?" Ozpin raised an eyebrow.

"May I inquire about the reason?"

"This is a school for Hunters," Accelerator repeated with a huge smirk on his face. "I assume there are rooms with some kind of battle simulation, right?"

"We have many training rooms," Ozpin acknowledged. "Automatic turrets and drones are the most common in order to improve our students' reaction and awareness. We can hardly keep a large amount of Grimm captive for them to practice against."

"That's fine," Accelerator said and flexed his fingers. "Since you healed me, something has been slightly off and I want to see exactly what I'm working with. If I'm not at one hundred percent, I need to know what my power is capable of."

"An excellent idea," Ozpin agreed and pressed a button on his scroll. "Glynda, could you come to my office? I need you to guide a new student to the training room for some tests."

"In the middle of the year?" Accelerator heard a woman say. "You really like to push the envelope. I will be there in three minutes." She hung up and Ozpin smiled.

"Glynda Goodwitch is a teacher at this school," Ozpin told Accelerator. "You will be in several of her classes and she will oversee your practice in the training rooms. We need to make sure your ability is at a certain level. From our talk, I notice you need to be rather blunt. When speaking with her, please either use Miss or Professor."

"I suppose I can try," Accelerator mumbled. "Maybe if I'm kept with a supply of this coffee, it will keep me even tempered."

"Normally, we give students a different brew, but I suppose an exception can be made in this case, if you pass Glynda's evaluation." Accelerator raised an eyebrow. "But do avoid trying to destroy the training room. Droids are easily fixed, buildings can take longer." Accelerator grinned deviously.

"No promises."

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **Current Ship Names:**

 **Yang and Touma: Fistbump / Golden Dragon**

 **Ruby and Touma: Blossoming / Black Rose**

 **Blake and Touma: Nine Lives / Bad Luck**

 **Emerald and Touma: Shattered Illusions / Illusion Breaker**

 **Twins and Touma: Triple Trouble**

 **Cinder X Touma: Through the Fire and Flame**

 **Accelerator and Weiss: Cold and Calculating / Ice Vector**

 **Accelerator and Yang: Road Rage / Short Fuse / Way of the Dragon**

 **Accelerator x Ruby: One-Way Rose**


	8. New Experiences

**This crossover seems to be one of my more popular works for some reason. I blame shippers, they love to ship everyone with everyone. More people equates to more ships. This chapter went a little longer than I originally planned because writing slice of life scenes are too fun to pass up. Because of that, I'm adding humor to the tags for this story. Merging two worlds together creates some interesting interactions. Sadly, no Touma this chapter, but I'll show what he has been up to next one, promise. We know we all really wanted to see Accelerator make some people cry. Everyone has been commenting on that. Remember, list of ship names are at the end of the chapter. None of the ships are set in stone, I just find it fun and I know a lot of people enjoy being creative. Now, onwards to the comments.**

 **jordanlink7856: Blake does have trust issues, so platonic could be what it stays as. Yang only makes her more guarded with all the boyfriend jokes.**

 **KisaragiKei: I think those names are cool, but I can't see Quantum Space really working between them. Twilight Arrow isn't too bad, because of color scheme and what you mentioned.**

 **Artyom-Dreizehn: I work hard on these, but time is limited or the chapters would come out much faster.**

 **Nicetoderp: I could see Velvet x Touma ship name, but I don't think that one is right for it. Touma x Weiss name is to long for my taste too.**

 **TykkiMikk: One of the earliest ones a friend of mine made is really good.**

 **Slash Aogetsu: I like to stick some flashbacks to the Index universe since this story is mainly in the RWBY universe.**

 **dickythamrin077: Writing Accelerator is one of my favorite things. There is a lot of balance involved. I feel a slip up from Blake is going to end up with Touma getting hurt.**

 **LL: What would that ship even be? Salem x Touma? I have no doubt he COULD do it, but wow. I'm sure Penny and Touma would have a lot of fun together. Touma is hardly one to make fun of unusual people. Though, if Touma's hand can negate Aura, what would happen to Penny? So many questions. Touma is forbidden from stepping into Monster Quest world.**

 **The Rupture: Guess he will have to have some kind of limit then. Aura would make him so OP though. I'm debating on some interesting Semblances and how they would affect him. Could Emerald use illusions, for example. Weiss X Accelerator has been pretty popular, but that's only because it was mentioned. Fandom's change pretty quick when new situations arise. I'll keep that in mind for Jaune.**

 **ultron emperor: Touma does seem to like attracting the crazy girls. Ruby and Last Order shall team up against Accelerator to make him do things with them. Double pouting face.**

 **ResidueWisdom: My friend, that is why fanfiction exists. TO throw two random people together for adventures they would normally never see. I agree completely with Yang, but Ruby could ask him out if she sees him act like a hero from the stories. (Does something amazing to protect someone and then act like it wasn't a big deal.) That is the hardest thing to do with Blake. Emerald will be tough, not going to lie. It would probably start with Cinder trying to get information on him. Touma has dealt with worst people than Cinder. He made a goddess fall for him. Accelerator is going to be tough with anyone. He's like Weiss and you have to break the shell. Last Order being there is the only reason something like this could happen. 90% of ships require a unique situation to occur to even have a chance to work.**

 **Memento Mori - The Truth: I try to let the stories decide, but my subconscious sometimes wants things to happen.**

 **Kuvukiland: Accelerator calls Touma 'hero' all the time, so he probably forgot his name. Hey, at least Touma did not do the bad touch. Oh no, this is not related to IP in anyway. All OCs there have no existence here.**

 **Guest: Deets is slang for details. White Knight is taken already with Weiss x Jaune. How would lions work? Touma x Neo one is kind of generic. It could work for most guys with Neo. For Emerald, what made you decide on that name? Not really feeling Cinder's though.**

 **G119: Thanks.**

 **Madness Beyond: Maybe by the time I reach it, we will know what it is in canon. I have the perfect scene for it in mind already.**

 **SpiderhunterXXX: Their ship name did sort of become that.**

 **YCG: Probably gets negated and then Touma gets his own bad luck. So it appears Qrow's Semblance is working, but it's really not.**

 **Adv: Practice makes perfect. The more you do something, the better you get.**

 **WiliamZ0: Yeah, gay pairings are not something I want to write, unless it is an Omake. Besides, Qrow and Winter are the OTP. I can see Ruby trying to get Touma's attention and he treats her like a younger sister. I can't wait for Yang to comment that Ice King as dethroned the Queen. Should happen in 1 or 2 more chapters. Depending on how much others do. Huh, Neo is similar to Leivinia. Sadist, all of them. I have a plan to make sure Accelerator doesn't have unlimited power.**

 **RPGPersona: You underestimate Ruby if you think earplugs would stop her. In Blake's defense, she wasn't looking for trouble, it found her. Blake reads too much and it affected her story telling. Yang will never let her live it down. I'm going to have Ruby slip up in front of Pyrrha and Yang, just to cause some interesting reactions. Accelerator drinks can coffee, so special fresh teacher coffee is the sweet nectar of the gods. OMG! Accelerator meeting Port. This will be great.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: Huh, I thought it was because of static electricity from a middle school student chasing him around.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY**.

* * *

Last Order was the first to wake up.

She opened her eyes in a dark unfamiliar location. It took a moment to remember she was in Team JNPR's room. Nora and Yang had played rock-paper-scissors to determine which room Last Order would sleep in. Nora had won. The interrogation of Ruby took a while, but Last Order had a lot of fun watching her friends question her. From what she witnessed, Ruby refused to say who she liked and kept trying to change the subject. No matter how much pressure Yang, Nora, and Pyrrha put on her, she only admitted she liked weapons, cookies, and killing Grimm. Eventually, they had to give up, but Yang refused to let anyone untie Ruby. Things turned less violent for a while as they talked and Last Order learned more about her new friends. When they heard the guys return, Nora and Pyrrha took her back to hang out in their room. She really liked how Nora always seemed to have the energy to play and that Jaune always paid attention to her. Ren was quiet, but polite and respectful to her. Pyrrha felt like a mother figure to her and didn't seem to hold a single bad thought. Because of a lack of beds, Nora convinced Last Order to share with her and that led to the current problem.

Last Order had to use the bathroom.

Nora was also very clingy when she slept.

It took a lot of wiggling to escape Nora's iron clutches. How she was so strong baffled Last Order, but she figured it was some kind of ability. It took longer than it should have, because Last Order did not want to wake up Nora. Normally, she was the one to snuggle against Accelerator when he slept, so the shoe was on the other foot. After getting free, she tiptoed quietly to their bathroom and shut the door behind her. She fumbled around and finally found the light switch. She hadn't meant to wake anyone and went around her business. The noise must have been heard, because the door opened and Pyrrha stepped in.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"MISAKA had to use the bathroom, MISAKA answers as MISAKA does her business. MISAKA did not mean to wake anyone up, MISAKA apologizes."

"Oh," Pyrrha replied. "I should have realized. I'm sorry. You didn't wake me by the way, I was already up and just lying in bed. When you got up, I wanted to make sure you didn't need anything." This was all true. Pyrrha usually got up earlier than the others. Jaune and Nora would sleep in as long as possible and Ren always woke up before Nora, otherwise he risked her jumping on him. This let Pyrrha shower and clean up before everyone else. "Did you sleep okay? Sharing a bed with Nora can be tough for people not used to it." She saw how Ren looked when Nora snuck into his bed.

"MISAKA enjoyed the contact, MISAKA says happily."

"That's good, I was afraid you would be uncomfortable since we didn't have an empty bed." Ren and Nora had offered to share, but Last Order refused to force them to change accommodations for her. "Since you are up, would you like me to draw you a bath? You didn't have one yesterday."

"MISAKA does not like baths, MISAKA says as MISAKA pouts."

"You do need one," Pyrrha explained and had to hold back a chuckle. "You worked up a sweat yesterday running around the city. Nora may allow it in her bed, but I know for a fact Ren washes her sheets three times a week. Body odor is not pleasant to be around." Last Order was wearing a shirt far too large for her, courtesy of Jaune, so her dress could air out.

"MISAKA will take a bath if you take one with MISAKA, MISAKA relents as MISAKA figured out a way to make bath time fun." She may be a little devious from hanging out with Accelerator and her sisters, but she was not good at hiding her intentions.

"EH?!" Last Order's request surprised Pyrrha and she checked the time. She usually showered and had to make sure there was enough time for an actual bath. "Okay," she finally agreed. "It's a little earlier than when I normally get up, so we should have time." She stepped back and clicked the lock on the bathroom door. The last thing she needed was one of the others barging in by accident. Nora would probably shout out what they were doing, so the entire floor would hear.

"Yay! MISAKA cheers as MISAKA hops to her feet." She stood next to Pyrrha, as she started to fill the tub. While the water flowed, Last Order turned to her. "Did you know you snore? MISAKA asks as MISAKA tries to start a conversation."

"W-what?!" spluttered Pyrrha.

"Really loudly, MISAKA adds as MISAKA giggles. MISAKA thought an animal snuck into the room at first."

"A-are you sure it wasn't someone else?" Pyrrha stammered, as her face flushed red. _I don't snore that loud, do I?_ Her parents occasional mentioned something like that, but she always thought they were teasing her. Ren and Nora never mentioned it to her, but a small part in the back of her mind told her why they would not. Nora could sleep through an explosion and Ren cherished his sleep while being a master of meditation. He could easily tune out noise. _Jaune never mentioned it either, but would he tell me that? He's way too nice to complain about snoring._ "Are you sure it wasn't someone else?" Pyrrha asked, trying to install doubt into the girl.

"MISAKA is sure, MISAKA replies. If it was Nora, MISAKA would know and Ren's mouth was closed. MISAKA was worried he might have been dead based on how still he was. Big brother Jaune," she giggled here because several people had interesting reactions when she told people he was her brother. "Was too far away from where the sound was coming from. It had to be you, MISAKA concludes as MISAKA shows off her detective skills." Pyrrha blinked and flushed deeper.

"If I give you some chocolate," she asked. "Will you promise not to mention that to anyone else? Especially Yang?"

"Okay, MISAKA agrees eagerly for the delicious treat."

Pyrrha sighed in relief. It was worth losing a few of her hidden pleasures to stop Yang from learning that secret. She regretted it pretty quick. Last Order was almost as energetic as Nora, when she wasn't tired, and trying to keep her in the bath while she cleaned herself, quickly became a chore. _I can't really remember the last time I had a bath besides to relax,_ she thought. _I wasn't this bad to my own parents, was I?_ The sounds must have attracted the notice of someone else or they were in there longer than Pyrrha thought, because there was a knock on the door.

"Pyrrha?" Jaune's voice came through the door. "Last Order? Who's in there?"

"We both are." Pyrrha answered. "We will be done in a few."

"Okay, I was just checking."

"We are bathing together, MISAKA informs you." Last Order seemed pleased with the situation, but Pyrrha flushed in embarrassment. It was a weird combination for Pyrrha though. It wasn't something she would announce, but if it made Jaune think about her in that light, maybe something would come of it. There was a moment of silence at the door and she didn't hear footsteps saying Jaune left. Her instincts were on the money this time.

"Oh… well… have fun?" Jaune finally said, when his brain snapped back into gear. That image was now permanently etched in his mind. He, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora had roomed together long enough that Jaune didn't consciously think about Pyrrha in the shower anymore. However, when presented to him like that, any normal seventeen year old would think about it. The vast majority of guys in school had fantasized about Pyrrha at least once. She was not only a famous individual after winning many fighting competitions, she was also very attractive. _Have fun? Jaune, what were you thinking? Next time, come up with a witty line._

"Sorry that took so long," Pyrrha told Jaune and Ren, after she and Last Order finished.

"No problem," Jaune replied from his bed. He was reading a comic, while Ren entered the bathroom first so he would be out before Nora woke up. "Oh, while you were in the bath, it seems Blake returned. Ruby was very vocal about it." Pyrrha chuckled.

"Do you know why she was late?" Pyrrha asked. "She wasn't in trouble, right?"

"I've caught a few words when someone shouted," Jaune admitted and tapped the wall. "Though, I have been trying to ignore them. They don't sound in trouble and I bet it's something personal."

"We can ask at breakfast if they wish to tell us," Pyrrha suggested and Jaune agreed.

"What comic is that? MISAKA asks as MISAKA bounds up next to you." Jaune looked over when Last Order's head appeared right next to his.

"It's an X-Ray and Vav," Jaune explained. "They are superheroes who… actually, it might be easier to let you read the first one." Last Order backed up while he pulled out a box from under his bed. "Let's see… here it is." He pulled out an issue and handed it to Last Order. "Feel free to read it and let me know if you want the next one. Please be careful, it's my only copy."

"Thank you, MISAKA says softly." She jumped up onto his bed and lied down on her back. Holding the comic above her, she started to read. Pyrrha smiled and Jaune laughed.

"You sure you two aren't her parents?" Nora's amused voice asked, as she sat up. "She's as polite as Pyrrha and has Jauney's interests."

"W-what?!" Jaune and Pyrrha stuttered in shock.

"You wake up before your alarm clock and that's your reaction?" Jaune asked bewildered.

"You three were being noisy," Nora pointed out. She stretched as she swung her legs off the bed. Nora's reaction was surprising to the others, because she usually attacked people who woke her up early. She must have slept well.

"We forgot to keep our voices down, sorry," Pyrrha apologized, but Nora waved her hand dismissively.

"Water under the bridge," Nora laughed. "Besides, this is great. More time to play with Last Order." She jumped off of her bed. "Finish your comic while I shower, so we can get pancakes." She started bounding toward the bathroom door.

"Wait!" Jaune called out. "Ren's in there-…!" His words probably would not have made a difference, as Nora burst into the bathroom.

"Nora!" The three of them and Last Order heard Ren shout, before the door closed.

"Are those two a couple? MISAKA asks."

Pyrrha and Jaune shrugged. It was one of life's great mysteries.

* * *

"Come on, Yang!" Ruby cried. "If we want to leave with Team JNPR, you can't take all day in the shower!"

"Perfection can't be rushed!" Yang sang through the door.

"Mediocrity can!" Weiss called out with a smirk. "So hurry up!"

"I'm sending a pair of your underwear to Vomit Boy with a love note now!" Yang declared.

"You wouldn't dare!" Weiss gasped in horror, to which Yang only laughed.

"Don't be mean!" Ruby chastised her sister. "Besides, don't you want to hang out with Last Order again? She's the only one who actually appreciates your terrible jokes."

"Good point." The sound of Yang stumbling around in the bathroom was heard and Ruby sighed.

"Did she really?" Blake asked from her bed.

"Surprisingly," Weiss answered. "Yes. Last Order is such a good kid, but for some reason finds Yang's jokes funny."

"Weird," Blake murmured and turned back to her book. She found it surprising all three of her roommates liked the same person, but stranger things had happened. At least they weren't pestering her anymore.

"I hope we aren't keeping them waiting," Ruby worried. "We promised yesterday we would go down to breakfast together."

"They haven't knocked," Weiss pointed out. "Nora would be the first one knocking down our door if we were keeping her from pancakes." Ruby had to giggle at that. "I still can't understand her obsession with them." A moment later, the bathroom door burst open and Yang popped out in nothing but a towel. "How many times have I told you!?" Weiss yelled. "Don't run around the room naked!"

"Cool it, Weiss Queen," Yang snorted with a roll of her eyes. "You were the one who wanted me to hurry." She walked to her dresser and threw on her clothes. "I'm ready now." Weiss grunted and looked toward her teammates. Ruby was already standing and bouncing on the balls of her feet. Blake sighed and bookmarked her place. They all left together and Ruby knocked on Team JNPR's door. A second later, Jaune opened the door and grinned.

"Sup, Rubes," he said and backed up to let them in. "You all ready to go?"

"Yang finally finished," Ruby sighed. "But, good news, Blake returned last night!"

"Yep," Yang confirmed and pushed Blake in. "The cat came back." Blake scowled at her.

"Last Order better be fine," Weiss huffed, as she stepped passed Jaune.

"HI, Weiss! MISAKA called out happily." Last Order was sitting on the ground in front of the TV, a remote in her hand. Another remote had been vacated on the ground next to her, which Jaune must have been playing. The weird thing was, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora were all lying on their beds, fully clothed and looking depressed.

"Umm," Ruby asked hesitantly and gestured to them. "What happened to you guys?"

"Turns out Last Order is pretty good at video games," Jaune explained with a smirk.

"Really good," Pyrrha added from her own bed. It had been a one sided massacre against most of them. Last Order destroyed Pyrrha and Nora, so Nora made Ren try to regain her honor. Ren and Last Order had a pretty intense battle, but Last Order pulled ahead. Ren was fine with losing to a skilled opponent, but Nora had hugged him so tightly, a couple of his ribs might have burst, and that was why he was lying down. Jaune was the only one who could defeat her. Her skill was surprising, since this was the first time Last Order played this particular video game.

"We were waiting for you guys to finish your talk," Jaune continued and scratched the side of his cheek. "We heard the shouting, but tried not to eavesdrop."

"It was a little exciting this morning," Yang laughed. "We have to tell to you guys about something Blake witnessed."

"Oh!" Nora gasped and jumped up out of her seat. "Did Blake get back from a super-secret spy mission in which the fate of the world rested in her hand? An enemy organization had developed or found a new weapon that will change the tide of battle and Blake was the only one capable of finding out what it was?" Everyone stared at her for a moment.

"That…," Weiss muttered. "Was surprisingly accurate."

"Huh?" All of Team JNPR was confused and were now paying close attention to Weiss and Blake.

"It's kind of a long story," Blake admitted and her eyes darted to Last Order, who was staring at her.

"Hello, MISAKA greets." Blake had been warned about her unusual way of talking and didn't make any outward signs she noticed. "You must be Blake. MISAKA's name is Last Order and it is nice to meet you, MISAKA introduces herself as MISAKA holds out a hand." Blake smiled slightly.

 _Weiss was right,_ she thought. _The girl is very polite._ Blake took a couple steps forward to meet Last Order and shake her hand, when she stopped. Something was off to her and her ears under her bow twitched. Last Order noticed her hesitation and bounded forward instead to meet her new friend. The sudden movement caused Blake to step back and hiss involuntarily, as the feeling became stronger.

"BLAKE!" She felt two hands hit her as Yang and Weiss reacted simultaneously. Her reaction caused Last Order to stop and retreat behind Jaune. Jaune had a look of shock on his face, as did the rest of his team. They all stood up in response to Blake's odd reaction.

"What are you doing?!" Ruby asked Blake wildly.

"It was a feeling," Blake muttered. _Maybe I am still jumpy from last night._

"Apologize!" Weiss ordered. "That was uncalled for and you terrified her." Last Order stuck her head out from behind Jaune and looked nervous.

"Last Order." Blake knelt down and Last Order emerged. "I'm sorry for acting like that. I was out late last night and I am not quite feeling like myself."

"It's okay, MISAKA reassures you. We all have off days. Would you still be MISAKA's friend? MISAKA asks hopefully."

"Of course," Blake replied. Suddenly, Last Order ran at her and gave her a hug. The feeling overcame her again, but this time she was prepared for it. Blake returned the hug and patted Last Order on the back. The weird feeling was still there, but Blake was getting used to it and it didn't bother her much anymore.

"Awww!" Nora cooed and snapped a picture on her scroll. "They are so cute. Ren, can we have a small child?" Everyone turned to her, and Ren gave a slight cough.

"You can't abduct a child," Ren chastised her. The ability to keep a calm face in front of a statement like that was impressive. Yang opened her mouth to say something, but Weiss threw her hand over her mouth to prevent things from escalating.

"A feeling," Pyrrha muttered and then turned to Last Order after she and Blake separated. "Has anyone else acted like Blake did when you first met them?"

"Nope, MISAKA replies. Animals will though." She noticed the confusion on everyone's faces. "MISAKA's body passively generates a weak electromagnetic field, MISAKA explains. The magnitude isn't high enough for humans to detect, but animals with increased sensitivity can. Does Blake's Semblance give her increase detection power? MISAKA asks."

"Somewhat," Yang answered before Blake could. "You could say she has _puurfect_ hearing-..." Blake slammed a hand over Yang's mouth and gave her a look.

 _I will end you._

"MISAKA can't control it, MISAKA apologizes. It happens unconsciously."

"No one is blaming you," Weiss reassured her. "Blake was operating on only a couple hours of sleep and then stumbled upon your ability. She won't do it again." Weiss glared at Blake, who quickly agreed with a nod of her head.

"Well," Jaune interrupted. "Now that everyone is here and Last Order met Blake, should we head to the cafeteria for breakfast?" Before anyone could agree, a loud rumbling sound came from Nora.

"Pancakes!" she declared and grabbed Ren. "Last one there is a rotten egg!" She flew out of the door dragging Ren behind her.

"That answers that question," Jaune laughed. He watched Last Order grab Weiss's hand and the two of them left together. He turned to Ruby. "So?"

"Cookies and group planning today," Ruby declared. She grabbed his arm and they disappeared, leaving only a handful of rose petals behind.

"Ruby's getting aggressive," Yang laughed and noticed Pyrrha watching her. "I mean, she has really wanted to plan this group bonding day and didn't get a chance yesterday." Pyrrha relaxed slightly and Yang scooted off. _I would hate to see a competition between those two for Vomit Boy. Ruby can get really possessive when someone tries to take something she likes. Pyrrha is so nice, but nice girls can snap._ She sighed. _Unless I see Jaune take an active interest in Ruby, I won't have to put the fear of my fists in him._ Blake and Pyrrha were the last two to leave the room. When the door clicked behind them, Blake turned to her.

"Weiss really has warmed up to Last Order," Blake commented. "Didn't she? Yang told me she did, but I had found it hard to believe."

"I think Weiss always wanted a younger sister who looked up to her," Pyrrha said with a smile. "Yang told us Last Order mentioned Weiss was a lot like Accelerator, so they kind of clicked." She shrugged. "Either way, it's good for Weiss to open up. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes," Blake answered and they walked the rest of the way to the cafeteria in silence.

* * *

"Where does she fit them all? MISAKA asks in bewilderment." Last Order was staring across the table at Nora, who had the biggest stack of pancakes she had ever seen. She also had her own stack, albeit much smaller, but the sheer amount of pancakes Nora could make disappear amazed her. Snapping back to her own food, she picked up a bow of fruit. She would have been happy with just pancakes, but Weiss told her she had to eat something nutritious with it. Her puppy-dog eyes didn't work when Jaune also said she should. Accelerator didn't care too much about what she ate, though when he cooked he made sure there were vegetables in the food. She resigned herself and ate it anyways. It wasn't like she hated fruit, she just liked pancakes more.

Ruby was eating a plate of cookies, so Last Order's meal was already healthier than hers.

Last Order turned her head to see what everyone else was doing. Ren was next to Nora, oblivious to Nora's space defying appetite. He had finished his meal and was sipping a green algae-like shake. Last Order was curious as to what it would taste like, but Nora and Jaune advised her not to touch it, even though Ren offered. Weiss was delicately eating and talking next to her. Ruby seemed to be discussing something important with Jaune, who smiled and seemed to be humoring her. Yang and Pyrrha were discussing something in undertones. It must have been about Blake, because Yang kept gesturing to her. Blake was scowling behind her book. Last Order was having a lot of fun with them all. Accelerator wasn't the most conversational person and her sister back home always mocked her. Eating and talking with friends was a new experience for her. Eventually, Ruby stood up and addressed the group.

"Friends, sister, Weiss-…"

"Hey!"

"Me and Jaune have-…"

"Jaune and I," Weiss corrected her annoyed.

"Me and Jaune!" Ruby repeated defiantly. "Have decided today our teams will be doing a joint training exercise, after we give Last Order a quick tour around campus."

"Sounds good," Yang yawned. Ren and Blake gave a short nod.

"Sweet!" Nora cheered. "Who wants to take me on?!" No one volunteered.

"I agree with the tour," Weiss said. "Beacon is a big place and it can be easy to get turned around, but should we really be showing live combat to Last Order?"

"She wanted to see what we do." Jaune said with a shrug. "Besides, it would be like a sports event in the training room if we spar. We can't take her into the Emerald Forest nor can we bring a captured Grimm to show her. This is the next best thing." Weiss stared at him for a moment, slightly stunned at the well-reasoned argument. He had to be the one to think of it, because she was sure Ruby would say they should show Last Order a Grimm. Jaune must have realized her thoughts, because he grinned. "Why are you so shocked, Snow Angel? I have good ideas once in a while." His smile faltered when Weiss gave him a smile that did not reach her eyes, which were ice cold.

"Just for that," she spoke slowly and Jaune felt his blood freeze. "I'll be the one to spar with you."

"Eep," Jaune squeaked and tried to hide behind Pyrrha. "Save me, Pyr!"

"It would actually be beneficial to spar against a dust user," Pyrrha told him, while she patted him on the back. "Weiss is definitely the most accomplish one of us in that department." Weiss nodded and her smirk never left her face. Yang was laughing at Jaune's expression.

"Should have kept you mouth shut," Yang told him.

"Weiss," Ruby reprimanded her partner. "Don't pick on him."

"Are you mad at him? MISAKA asks confused." Weiss noticed Last Order was staring at her.

"Of course not," Weiss lied and the smile never left her face. "Pyrrha is right. He spars with her plenty of times, so a change of pace will be good for him." Her eyes didn't seem to match her words, because Jaune saw what she was thinking when she looked at him.

 _You are going to suffer._

 _Might as well write my will,_ he thought and debated scribbling it out on the back of a napkin. _Pyrrha can have my comics. I know she likes readying them too. As for Nora, she can have…_ Once everyone had finished eating, Ruby ushered them all out. They started showing Last Order the grounds first and then Ruby stated something else to the rest of them.

"There was another reason we wanted to do the tour first," Ruby explained to everyone. "You see, when Blake was out, she bumped into Torchwick."

"What?!" Team JNPR gasped, except Ren, but even he looked startled.

"It was an accident," Blake stated quickly. "But I found out something. After Ruby, Yang, and Weiss told me about Last Order and Accelerator, we think there might have been a third person enter our world."

"Why do you say that?" Nora asked. "Can he do awesome things like throw an Ursa a mile?" Blake gave her a small grin.

"He scares Grimm so much, they won't approach him." Nora's eyes grew wide.

"Sweet!"

"That doesn't make any sense," Ren pointed out. "Grimm don't show emotions like fear."

"Torchwick knows about it and used it to frighten a Goliath out of his way," Blake retorted with a shrug. "I witnessed it." There was silence as the others processed this.

"So it was a person who did this and you think he belongs to the same world as Last Order?" Pyrrha asked and Blake nodded. "Why would he be working for Torchwick then?"

"Because he is probably being tricked," Ruby declared with a huff and crossed her arms.

"So what are we going to do about this?" Jaune asked. "Tell Ozpin?"

"We could break peoples' legs," Nora suggested hopefully.

"Whose legs?" Yang asked.

"Does it really matter that much?"

"We still don't have proof this guy is from her world," Weiss pointed out. "While I agree it's possible, we shouldn't jump to conclusions."

"If he is someone from outside Vale who is being manipulated," Ruby added. "We still need to help him. He saved Blake, so he can't be a bad person."

"He saved you?" Pyrrha asked confused and turned to Blake, who gave a brief nod.

"Turns out this guy was checking Blake out," Yang explained quickly, before Blake could stop her. "Then she was recognized by Torchwick and he saved her from being killed. In other words, Blake has a new boyfriend now."

"So she dumped Sun?" Jaune asked, before his brain could understand the consequences of his action.

"And Vomit Boy with the assist," Yang burst out laughing and smacked him on the back. "You never cease to amaze me." Blake rounded on both of them, her eyes flashing.

"Both of you, shut up," she hissed, pure murder in her eyes. Yang kept laughing, but Jaune shut up. Blake could easily kick his ass if she wanted to.

"There is an easy way to check," Ren suggested. "Describe him to Last Order and see if she knows who he is."

"Good idea," Ruby agreed. "Hey, Last Order, do you know a guy around our age with spiky black hair and the ability to…" She trailed off and looked at Blake.

"Negate things by touch," Blake finished. Grimm did not exist in the other world, so she had to say the secondary effect. Last Order's eyes went wide and she nodded.

"You must mean the savior, MISAKA states as MISAKA is not all too surprised he followed."

* * *

"How did he do, Glynda?" Ozpin asked. He was looking at the screen on his desk, where Glynda's face was staring back at him.

"Ozpin," she said slowly and her expression turned into a glare. "When you said he was a unique case, you didn't give me a clear idea of his ability."

"I didn't know much about it either," Ozpin replied mildly and sipped his coffee. "I take it he exceeded expectation?"

"No."

"No?"

"He destroyed them."

"Could you elaborate?" Ozpin asked. _This is a first time Glynda has used that language. Does the training room need to be fixed?_

"I started off slow because he didn't have any Aura," Glynda explained. "I didn't like that fact, but now I understand why you brought that young man here. The training drones were no match for him, so I moved on to actual courses."

"What do you mean by no match?" Ozpin inquired. "I would like details on efficiency, strategy, attack patterns, and anything else of note."

"The thing is, he didn't _do_ anything at first. He just walked towards them and let them attack." Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "The arms were immediately knocked back with enough force to break most of them. No matter how many drones attacked or the direction, the same thing happened. I know he couldn't react to their speed, because he had been trying to follow them with his eyes, so he has to have some shield around his entire body. When I questioned him, he said it was only a reflection and then complained about doing 'manual calculations.' I don't know what that means."

"His ability is different than our Semblances," Ozpin explained. "I gave you an overview, but I wanted to make sure I received an outside analysis."

"Another world," Glynda sighed. "I know you see a lot of strange things, Ozpin, but this… this is ridiculous. Though, after that display and what he did to the obstacle courses, I'm a believer."

"What level did he reach?"

"He cleared an obstacle course designed for third years in record time." Ozpin set down his mug.

"Details, please."

"He walked from one side to the other." Ozpin blinked and opened his mouth, but Glynda continued. "He… _literally_ … walked! Drones in his path were blown away, turrets were shredded by their own bullets, and walls were shattered with his bare hand. He lightly kicked a shattered drone and sent it flying into three others. Nothing worked against him. His power has to be more than reflection." Glynda straightened her glasses and stared at him. "What is it? I know you know."

"Vector manipulation. He can change the vectors of anything he touches. Reflection must be his default skill. He demonstrated his power in manipulating wind in my office. I assume he touched all the walls and drones, before he flung them in the direction he desired. If he did that to part of the wall, it would shatter instantly."

"That would explain how easily he cleared those courses," Glynda mumbled in thought. "I wish I had known this before requesting some assistance."

"Assistance?"

"A third year team had returned two days ago and agreed to assist me in testing Accelerator."

"Did you tell them to keep him a secret for now?" Ozpin asked with a frown. "I rather this not spread, until we know what he is capable of."

"I did," Glynda acknowledge. "But they definitely won't talk about what happened." Ozpin raised an eyebrow and Glynda shook her head. "An entire third year team decimated by a sixteen year old without Aura would not put them in a good light, no matter how unusual Accelerator is."

"What was the battle like?"

"At first it was a lot like the drones," Glynda explained. "I warned them he had a reflective-type Semblance to try to get a better reading. It helped a lot early on. Range and melee attacks were being reflected easily enough and, if it wasn't for Aura, they would have broken arms from their weapon's sudden recoil. Besides the overwhelming power of Accelerator's reflection, I didn't expect much else, but then something happened and I admit I underestimated him. He is much smarter than I gave him credit for."

"After my conversation with him," Ozpin agreed. "Underestimating what he can understand and what he has gone through would be a fatal mistake. He has a strong mind and many experiences under his belt."

"It would explain what he did next," Glynda said. "Before the spar, I explained to him how the rules worked and once someone's Aura reached twenty five percent, we would be finished. I did warn the third years about his unique situation, so they could take preventive measures. Accelerator noticed their Aura went down after he reflected a strike from their weapons. The force of the sudden change in direction caused stress on their arm, which the Aura absorbed in order to avoid damage." Glynda frowned. "The smile on his face, it was disconcerting. From then on, the spar became a systematic massacre. None of their attacks hurt him and he began to display his own power. He could propel himself at high speeds and the force destroyed the ground around him. Funnels of wind formed in his hand, and a mere touch sent the other students flying into walls or at the ground."

"So he was learning what Aura was capable of?" Ozpin guessed.

"I believe he was systematically trying out moves to figure exactly that," Glynda confirmed. "Every time he hit someone, he checked the Aura gauge. You said he didn't know what Aura was and I believe he spent the time learning how much punishment it could take. Ozpin, this wasn't some random attacks of a child to win. It was obvious he was deliberately figuring it out and I find it unnerving. Are you sure this is wise?"

"Accelerator had been forced to mature much faster than a normal civilian," Ozpin informed her. "He is at the level of someone who saw their village burn from a Grimm attack. There is, however, reasons I believe he will be a valuable asset while he stays here and his young friend will help keep him in line. No one is inherently evil, we all have a choice. He learned this through methods I would never wish on a child."

"I see, well then, I will defer to your judgment," Glynda replied.

"Was there any signs of anything unusual?" Ozpin asked. "Attacks that might have worked against him?"

"Dust had unusual reactions around him," Glynda confirmed. "A fire dust explosion burnt part of his shirt, but did not reach his skin. A couple ice shards were not reflected but shattered in different directions. He also grimaced when he was hit by some electrical dust. I think he is not used to using his power on dust and it causes some unpredictable results."

"I see," Ozpin murmured and thought about that for a moment. _His world does not have dust, so it would not be unheard of for him to have limited experience with magic. His world operates under different rules._ "Anything else?"

"As a curiosity on my part," she continued. "I tried my Semblance on his clothes to move him. It worked at first, until he noticed and forced himself to stop. He also seemed slightly tired and wobbled a bit after the fight finished. His power must be taking a toll on him. With that kind of power, there has to be some kind of drawback."

"Most interesting." Ozpin paused and sipped his coffee. _So a long drawn out battle might be a weakness of his? I hope we would not need it, but it never hurts to be prepared._ "He had expressed interest in fighting Grimm during his stay here, would you be agreeable to let him?" Glynda blinked in surprise. She did not know Accelerator and Ozpin had discussed this already.

"After his display," Glynda said. "He will have no problem facing them. I actually rather him face Grimm than other students. That power… it's not normal. The destruction he wields at a mere touch could be unstoppable in the wrong hands. If he wasn't male, I would swear he was one of the four."

"I can assure you, he is not."

"Then should I make preparation for him to join one of our more advanced teams?" Glynda asked.

"No," Ozpin replied instantly. "I already have the team, or teams, I expect him to work with."

"Well," Glynda said and the corner of her lips tightened in displeasure. "You can contact him at your leisure. I have given him his scroll, along with Ms. Order's."

"I will, thank you for everything, Glynda." He hung up and then dialed Accelerator's scroll. A moment later, his face showed up on the screen. "Good morning, Accelerator."

"What do you want?" he snapped.

"Since your tests have concluded," Ozpin replied mildly, ignoring Accelerator's attitude. "I come to inform you of the location of Ms. Order. She, along with Team RWBY and JNPR, are in the training rooms not too far from your location. She is watching them spar and I figured you would want to meet her and tell her you are okay."

"I was given a map," Accelerator replied. "Which room?"

"Room four."

"Gotcha." Accelerator hung up and Ozpin leaned back in his seat.

 _His attitude could be a problem,_ Ozpin thought to himself and stared out the window. _There is no doubt his power could help tip the war in our favor, but there is no telling how long he will remain. I promised him I would search for a way to send him home and I will keep my word. No matter how strong he is, he does not belong here, but fate can be an interesting thing. Could he have been sent here for a purpose?_

* * *

To learn about Touma Kamijou from Last Order had been a shock.

The good thing was Blake finally had someone to back up her story. Last Order confirmed that Touma Kamijou did indeed have the power to negate powers. Though Last Order used the term abilities, the fact it could negate Aura showed Touma's power wasn't limited to their world. She didn't have any idea about it being able to repel Grimm. Team RWBY, especially Yang, wanted to know more about him, while Team JNPR was also curious. Last Order didn't know all of his exploits, but there were two that stood out. The first was him saving her sisters from being killed by some corrupt scientists in an experiment back home, and the second was when he stood against the world to protect a single girl.

"What do you think, Blake?" Weiss asked, as she held Last Order's hand tightly. The fact her sisters had almost been killed for some twisted experimented was not something a kid should ever have to experience. Weiss felt a lot of the story was left out, but she couldn't believe a child would know everything about something so horrible. "Did he give you that impression?"

"No," Blake admitted. "He obviously didn't know what was going on, but I can believe he has fought before, based on how he charged the Grimm without regard for his safety. Though, standing against an entire world seems unlikely."

"Several countries banded together to hunt him down MISAKA explains. Yet he managed to push them back and save his friend."

"What did this person do to warrant the world chasing them?" Pyrrha asked.

"Did she make some giant bomb and threatened to use it?" Nora asked. "Maybe she was framed and the real criminal was going to get away and Touma knew it. Or, there was no bomb and everything was just a misunderstanding and it could be resolved peacefully!"

"Let her speak," Ren told her.

"She was a terrorist, MISAKA explains. Yet the savior believed she deserved to be saved instead of put to death. He stood against the world and traveled across the map to get her to safety. MISAKA doesn't know much of the details, but the other countries eventually decided to call off the attack, MISAKA finishes."

"Wow," Ruby gasped. "He sounds so cool. Okay, that settles it. Torchwick obviously is manipulating him to do something bad. It is up to Team RWBY and JNPR to save him and stop the criminal!"

"I do owe him for helping me," admitted Blake. The fact Touma would risk his life for a terrorist spoke volumes to her.

"If it gives me a chance to knock some sense into Torchwick," Yang grinned. "Count me in."

"Let's break his legs!" Nora suggested loudly.

"Protecting family and friends is something I can get behind of," Jaune agreed, He turned to Ren and Pyrrha. "You two in?"

"Of course," Pyrrha replied quickly and Ren nodded.

"This is all well and good," Weiss, as the voice of reason, pointed out. "But how do you expect to find those two?" There was silence for a moment.

"We can plan out how to gather information later," Yang muttered and there was a collective agreement. "Right now, we need to practice. I'm stiff from lack of physical activity. Come on P-money, I'm totally going to whoop your butt this time."

"I look forward to our spar," Pyrrha replied. "But I won't go easy on you."

"That is what I like to hear!" Their group walked to the training area and selected a free room. There were several different rooms available to students. Some were designed with obstacle courses, others with only training drones, and the one they selected was just a simple ring with bleachers on one side, yet all had routes connecting to the locker rooms, so they could collect their weapons and armor. Yang and Pyrrha went to change while the others took their seats. After a short discussion on the remaining pairs, they decided on Ren versus Blake, Ruby versus Nora, and Weiss versus Jaune. The decision was based on having each of them spar someone on the other team, though Jaune begged to change with someone. His pleading was ignored, yet Ruby and Nora both patted him on the back reassuringly. It didn't help that Weiss was wearing a very dark smile.

Yang and Pyrrha came in both wearing their combat gear and started the match. Last Order was on the edge of her seat in anticipation.

The battle started off as Yang unleashed several blasts from her gauntlets to try to keep Pyrrha off balance. Pyrrha only raised her shield to block a few, while she dodged the rest with quick fluid motions. Her weapon transformed into a rifle and she unleashed a couple of her own shots back at Yang. Yang was forced to jump to the side and use her gauntlets to block one. Deciding range wasn't going to work, Yang rushed forward and tried to deliver a powerful punch into Pyrrha's gut. However, Pyrrha wasn't known as the Invincible Girl without reason. Every blow Yang delivered, she either parried with her sword, which transformed from her rifle, block with her shield, or dodged by a hairs breath. Their movements were far above what normal people could do and Last Order watched with bated breath, as they jumped high into the air and reacted with blinding speed. It was obvious Yang was getting more and more frustrated. Her attacks were getting wilder and wilder. Every time she left herself open, Pyrrha delivered a sharp blow with her blade or kicked Yang back to add some distance between them. Once, it looked like Yang was going to strike Pyrrha, but she missed by less than an inch. Yang was a little confused at that, as she believed she felt her hand move slightly out of the planned trajectory, but it must have been her imagination.

No one noticed the ahoge on top of Last Order's head twitch.

Pyrrha finally delivered a powerful jab into Yang's guts with her sword and pushed them apart, but that move created the situation people dreaded when fighting Yang. Her eyes flashed red and immense heat formed around her hair. Every blow she took only increased her power, as she absorbed the kinetic energy. She kicked off the ground, causing several large cracks, and delivered a powerful blow directly at Pyrrha. She couldn't dodge, but managed to get her shield up in time while pushing upwards at an angle. She diverted a good portion of the strike, but her arms still felt the shockwave from her shield. Pyrrha's aura absorbed the blow, but it was enough for her to understand what would happen if she tried to directly stop that attack. Using the opening created by her block, Pyrrha delivered a series of jabs into Yang's gut before she could recover.

The buzzer went off when Yang's Aura went below thirty percent, their agreed upon target.

"Dang it," Yang moaned. "I should have fought more conservatively like Goodwitch always yells at me about."

"Your earlier attacks kept me on the defensive," Pyrrha pointed out. "But you started leaving a lot of openings." She looked at the screen and saw her own Aura still in the green at ninety-one percent. _A direct hit from her would nearly deplete my Aura._ They started walking over to the others, who were cheering and congratulating them.

"I get too involved in the fight to keep my guard up," Yang laughed. "Usually, allowing a couple hits only helps me fight, but you really take advantage of them a little too much. Eh, P-money?" Pyrrha only chuckled slightly. "I thought I had you a couple times, but you either dodge at the last second or I misjudged."

"There were some close calls," Pyrrha admitted.

"Nice fight, Yang!" Ruby called out. "You will get her next time."

"Awesome job, Pyr!" Jaune congratulated. "That's 1-0 in our favor, Rubes."

"Hah," Ruby sneered back. "Just you wait, we are totally going to win this."

"Wait," Yang said. "What did we miss?"

"Those two dunces," Weiss muttered and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Decided they wanted to bet on which team would get the most wins."

"Jaune," Pyrrha reprimanded him slowly. "You shouldn't have done that-…"

"Without letting us know!" Yang finished and Pyrrha spun around to look at her. "So, what's the bet?"

"Losing team has to buy ice cream for the winning team next time we are in Vale," Blake said and looked up from her book momentarily.

"Oh," Yang sighed. "That's kind of tame."

"You know with only four matches," Ren pointed out. "A tie is likely."

"Good point," Nora said. "What happens then? Sudden death match?"

"Nothing?" Jaune and Ruby suggested.

"No way," Yang stated firmly and crossed her arms. "That is way too lame, something has to happen."

"Preferably to those two for making the bet in the first place," Weiss added.

"What about a punishment game? MISAKA asks as MISAKA grins deviously."

"Yes!" Nora cheered. "Both of our leaders have to receive some kind of punishment!"

"There's no need for that," Jaune said quickly and Ruby nodded vigorously from his side. "Right, Pyr?" He turned to his partner for support. Pyrrha really wanted to back him up, but she did believe making bets was a bad habit.

"As long as it's not too bad," she finally replied and looked away from the betrayal on Jaune's face. "You really shouldn't bet, let alone without talking to us about it."

"You're right," Jaune admitted and hung his head like a puppy who had an accident. "I deserve it."

"As long as you learn from your mistake," Pyrrha told him kindly. _I'll cheer him up afterwards if we tie. He is really cute when he apologizes._

"Now to decide punishments," Yang announced, taking charge.

"How about Jaune drinks one of Ren's health drinks?" Nora suggested. "Those things taste horrible and nearly killed me."

"They are perfectly healthy for you," Ren pointed out.

"Still disgusting," Nora replied and stuck her tongue out. Ren only rolled his eyes.

"Great idea," Yang agreed and pointed to Nora. "So how about for Ruby?"

"No cookies for a couple days?" Weiss suggested.

"WEISS!" Ruby cried. "How could you torture me like that?!"

"It won't kill you to eat a little healthier."

"Yes, it will!"

"Is it a punishment just for her?" Blake asked. "I feel we are the ones who will be punished listening to her go through withdrawal."

"No." Yang shook her head. "It's a _Weiss_ idea. The stakes have been made!" She yelled out the last bit and raised a fist. Last Order cheered and imitated her action. "I wish I had known earlier, or I would have tried something else."

"You were doing amazing, MISAKA states as MISAKA cheers you up. There is not much you can do against magnetism on metal weapons."

Everyone went silent.

"Excuse me?" Yang asked confused, as she stared at Last Order.

"Pyrrha magnetized your weapons, MISAKA states clearly. It allowed her to alter the trajectory." Yang turned toward Pyrrha, as did everyone else. Pyrrha face had turned red and she diverted eye contact.

"Did you really?" Yang asked.

"Well… you see…" Pyrrha trailed off and was looking embarrassed. She glanced at Weiss and Ruby, the only two who knew about her Semblance because they were with her in Forever Falls. Pyrrha kept her Semblance a secret and she didn't like to lie, unless it was to spare someone's feelings. "Yes," she finally admitted in a whisper.

"Okay," Yang said and rounded on everyone else. "Who knew before today?" Ruby and Weiss slowly raised their hands. "Traitors! I could have been thinking of a counter to beat her if I knew."

"She asked us to keep it a secret," Ruby explained timidly.

"It was her secret to tell," Weiss replied with a shrug, not looking sorry at all.

"I did ask them not to tell anyone else," Pyrrha added quickly to divert attention away from her friends. "So please don't blame them. My Semblance is indeed Polarity and I can magnetize weapons."

"How were you able to recognize her Semblance?" Ren asked Last Order.

"Obviously, she is super powerful and is only pretending to be a little girl," Nora answered instead. "I bet she is secretly monitoring us to determine if we are ready for a top-secret mission to save the world."

"You have been watching too many movies," Jaune sighed.

"How did you know?" Blake asked, also curious.

"MISAKA is an electromaster. While MISAKA primarily uses electricity, MISAKA can also control magnetism, but not as well, MISAKA explains as MISAKA does a demonstration." She held out her hand and Pyrrha's sword began to shake. Pyrrha let it go and it remained floating in the air. She grabbed it again, before Last Order stopped using her power on it. "MISAKA's older sister is much better at it though. When Pyrrha used her magnetism, MISAKA detected the waves."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Jaune asked her, looking slightly hurt. "I know Ren likes to be the mysterious ninja guy, but Nora was opened about hers. Why did you hide it?"

"Because it doesn't make competitions fair," Pyrrha told them all. "It's true I could use it from the start and completely control someone else's weapon. I could strike them with it and keep them from ever being able to move with it at all, but that would not benefit either of us. I wouldn't be able to practice everything I have learned over the years through training, and everything my opponent learned would be for naught. It's not fair. Neither of us would improve. Imagine what people would say if they faced me and knew about it. I bet most would forfeit immediately. There are also Hunters who use weapons made of material I can't magnetize. If I relied only on my Semblance, I would be powerless against them. Grimm also don't have any metal, so it is useless against them. I only use it during matches when I can't do anything else to stop an attack. People already think I'm invincible without knowing about my Semblance."

"That make sense," Weiss admitted. "Never relying on only one technique and striving to improve all her aspects. I can respect that."

"We will all keep your secret if you want us to," Ruby added. "You are still our friend and we won't give up your Semblance unless you are okay with it." Everyone else nodded and even Yang gave a thumbs up. She obviously wasn't angry at Pyrrha.

"No one should be upset if you use your Semblance," Jaune stated and Pyrrha turned to him. His opinion was one of the most important to her. "I mean, I bet you worked your butt off trying to master it. We have seen you fight countless times and never noticed you using it before. Your application is so seamless, I bet you had to practice a lot."

"There were some interesting situations early on." Pyrrha chuckled at the memory. "All sorts of metal items in my house would randomly fly at me. Even after I started to control it, if I was surprised or upset it would sometimes run out of control. I can't tell you how many times I was in the kitchen and a pan randomly flew at me." She laughed along with everyone else.

"I crashed into a lot of walls and trees," Ruby reminisced. "Before I learned how to turn."

"I broke a lot of things," Yang added. "Before I learned how much strength my Semblance gave me."

"You still break things," Ruby pointed out, but Yang only laughed.

"My glyphs required constant training," Weiss told the others. "And I'm still working to master them even more."

"When I was learning the timing for my clones," Blake spoke up. "I was hit so many times I lost track."

"I was in the same boat as Yang," Nora agreed. "But now I learned how to control my strength perfectly!" Everyone stared at her in silence. "What?"

"Your hugs nearly kill us," Jaune pointed out.

"But they don't anymore!" Nora protested. Everyone turned to Ren, who only shrugged. He didn't say anything about his Semblance, so Jaune took over.

"And I don't know what mine is yet. The point is, everyone has to learn and practice. There is nothing to be ashamed of if your Semblance is better suited for certain types of fights. You can't help with what you are born with, only what you do with it." Pyrrha blinked and felt a true smile form on her face. This is why she came to Beacon, to get away from all the fans of Pyrrha Nikos and find true friends on Pyrrha, the person. "I mean, you said something similar to me when we first started training. I think it applies here too."

"Damn, Vomit Boy." Yang broke the atmosphere, but looked impressed. "Where was that kind of confidence when we first met?"

"I can assure you that if we were on a Bullhead now," Jaune told her. "That speech would never have happened." Yang laughed.

"Don't worry," Blake whispered to Pyrrha. "Yang won't hold a grudge against you. She will make fun of Weiss and Ruby for a day because they kept it a secret, and then will think of ways to defeat you."

"I look forward to it," Pyrrha whispered back. She was happy and wouldn't trade her friends for anything.

"I take it we are up next?" Ren asked and Blake nodded. They headed toward the locker room.

"Don't lose, Ren!" Nora yelled. "Our reputation is at stake!"

"Blake!" Yang called out. "Avenge me!"

Blake and Ren had actually sparred many times in Glynda's combat class. Their skill levels were similar and it made the spar a good chance for them to test out how far they have come. They were also both agile people and didn't rely on brute force. Ren's two one-handed guns did not have a lot of firepower or accuracy, but a high rate of fire and they forced Blake to keep moving. Blake's weapon's gun form was more accurate and slightly stronger, but lacked the same rate of fire. She fired a couple shots off and Ren rushed forward to bring them into close combat. His guns had collapsible blades that released when he closed in, while Blake turned her gun back into a blade while wielding her sheath in her left hand. They began to exchange a series of blows that were hard to follow with the naked eye, Last Order could only watch with her mouth hanging open. Blake was a little better in close melee combat though and managed to hit Ren with her sheath like a clever. His Aura finally dropped down to twenty-nine percent, which caused the buzzer to go off.

"Good match," Blake said and reached out a hand to help him up. Her own Aura was at thirty-nine percent, so a well-placed hit could have changed the outcome.

"I made the mistake of trying to exchange blows directly against you," Ren commented mildly and accepted her hand. "Your sheath is heavy and harder to parry. I should have kept trying to strike your side."

"No Nora to distract them?" Blake asked with a slight smirk and Ren nodded.

"WOOO!" Yang and Ruby cheered. "Go Blake!"

"That was well fought," Weiss told Blake, when she and Ren approached the others.

"It's okay, Ren!" Nora cried and put her friend in a hug of death. "I will win my match in your memory!"

"I'm not dead," Ren sighed, but patted her on the back.

"You will get her next time," Pyrrha reassured him.

"How could you lose, Ren?" Jaune asked and slumped down in his seat. "That means even if Nora wins, I will still need to defeat Weiss to avoid punishment."

"Which will never happen!" Weiss snapped. Ruby and Nora were up next and they ran to the locker room to change. Both of them were eager to start their match. They returned shortly, but their teams called them back for a quick pep talk. Jaune promised Nora pancakes if she won to encourage his teammate, but it probably wasn't needed. Nora did not like to lose. Weiss was similar in that regard.

"Just because Nora is a friend," Weiss reminded Ruby. "Don't go easy on her, or that hammer is going to flatten you."

"Chill, Weiss," Yang laughed. "Ruby always goes for the win."

"Besides," Ruby said and puffed out her chest. "I have a secret weapon, so I won't lose!"

"Really?" Weiss asked skeptically.

"Yep!" She reached into the pocket of her combat skirt and pulled out a bag of cookies. Weiss face palmed, but Jaune stood up and pointed at her.

"That's cheating!" he cried. "No doping!"

"There's no rule about eating cookies before a match!" Yang countered triumphantly. The sugar rush was sure to give Ruby a surge of energy. Her body somehow could turn the treat into all the vitamins and minerals she needed. In a flash, Ruby disappeared and only left a few rose petals where she had been. She reappeared in the middle of the arena with a huge grin on her face and fire in her eyes.

"Two can play that game!" Jaune yelled. Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked. "Does Nora have a secret weapon?"

"I'm my own secret weapon!" Nora yelled. "The Queen of the Castle never falters!"

"Well," Jaune told them in an undertone. "I remember something Nora wanted to try yesterday and I think it's a perfect opportunity." Ren raised an eyebrow. "I'll be right back." He stood up and moved next to Last Order. He bent down and whispered something into her ear. Last Order had been pretty quiet besides gasping and cheering for her friends. She didn't want to take sides, since she liked them all. This time, the grin on her face told everyone she had chosen a team.

"Noooo…" Yang gasped and trailed off. Blake's and Ren's eyes widened when the realized what Jaune was doing. Pyrrha was kind of torn. On one hand, she was impressed at Jaune's strategic planning. This wasn't technically against the rules, like with Ruby and cookies, but it wasn't something one might consider fair. However, her competitive streak kept her mouth shut and she silently cheered. Weiss was not going to take Jaune's blatant disregard for etiquette lying down though.

"Don't you dare, A-…!" She yelled, but Jaune shouted over her.

"Okay, Last Order! Hug Nora!" Last Order giggled and ran at Nora. Right before she collided with Nora, she jumped and Nora caught her in her outstretched arm. Nora may have been one of the shorter members on both teams, but she was definitely one of the strongest physically.

"Ready? MISAKA asks."

"Jaune-Jaune always has the best ideas," Nora replied with a grin. "Go all out!" Under the protest of Team RWBY and Ren, Last Order unleashed a torrent of bluish-white electricity. Instead of going everywhere, the electrical currents began to get absorbed into Nora's body. The bluish-white color changed into a pink glow as it fused with her. She started laughing and raised Magnhild high above her head with her free hand. Nora's Semblance gave her the ability to produce and channel electrical energy into her muscles, giving her enhanced strength. This allowed her to jump incredibly high, wield her mighty hammer, and crush everyone foolish enough to stand in her way.

This time, it was Ruby.

"Meep," she squeaked when Nora turned to look at her, an insane gleam in her friend's eyes. Nora set Last Order down, bent her knees, and leaped high into the air, to land a moment later in the center of the ring.

"Okay," Ren commented dryly. "This will not end well."

"Don't let her hit you, Ruby!" Yang called out in panic. "I don't want to scrap you off the floor with a spatula!"

"Great pep talk, Yang," Weiss muttered. Blake held up a small flag with Ruby's name on it.

"Good luck to both of you!" Pyrrha yelled. Since both were her friends and this was practice, she could cheer on everyone.

"Go, Nora!" Jaune yelled. "Show her the power of…!" he stopped and thought about it for a second, "The Queen of the Castle!" Nora had a lot of titles she liked to used.

"Hear that, Ruby?" Nora asked, still smiling menacingly. "Blood for the Blood Jaune!" Ren face palmed,

"That's not what he sai-…!" Ruby protested, but stopped when she was forced to retreat. Nora had swung her hammer straight down and would have crushed Ruby. Luckily, she missed, but the poor arena floor received a sizable crater. Ruby gulped and hopped back again. Nora's crazed expression never changed, as she lifted up her hammer and turned to Ruby. _She's drunk on power, but as long as she can't hit me, I'm good._ She raised her beloved Crescent Rose, currently in gun form. She didn't want to be anywhere near Nora. Ruby fired a couple rounds, before Nora charged. The force of her legs pushing off the ground caused the floor to break apart. Even with Ruby's Semblance of speed, she barely avoided the sudden attack. She tried to stay away and fire more bullets, but Nora would either block or dodge, and then immediately catch up to her. The amount of electricity she absorbed from Last Order must have put her at a hundred and twenty percent.

Ruby's weapon then extended and a large scythe blade emerged. Range was not working, so she had to risk closing in. Speed was the key to her hit and run tactic. Since she was smaller and younger than the others, her attacks required speed and agility. A few rose petals appeared, as Ruby moved at speeds even Faunus could not detect, and then she appeared behind Nora. Crescent Rose was brought down as Nora began to turn. It wasn't a perfect hit, but Nora's Aura decreased about ten percent. Ruby vanished right before Nora's hammer passed through where she had been. Ruby kept up the pace, but she made a mistake. Her attack patterns had always been rather predictable, something her teacher told her often, so Nora was ready for the third attack. As soon as Ruby appeared, Nora's hammer made contact.

A Ruby shaped imprint was created in the wall of the training room, as the actually Ruby slumped down on the ground, her head spinning.

"Victory!" Jaune and Pyrrha cheered, as Ruby's teammates ran over to check if she was okay. Apparently she was, and they carried her back over to the bleachers. Ren sighed in relief. A fully charged Nora could have caused a lot more damage. Nora raised her hammer to Jaune and then bowed.

"Is the Blood Jaune pleased?" Nora asked and winked.

"You have performed well, Nora Valkyrie," Jaune replied in a deep voice and nodded. "There will always be pancakes in your future. May the syrup rivers never run dry." He and Nora burst out laughing and even Pyrrha chuckled at this. Once Yang was sure her sister was okay, she laughed too.

"Clever move, you guys," she said. "But we are making a comeback. There is no way we will lose. Weiss, show them the strength of Team RWBY!"

"Try not to lose too fast, Arc," Weiss told him smugly. Jaune gulped, but figured, if he was going to die, he would die in style.

"I'm sure you will be surprised at how much I have improved, _Snow Angel_ ," he said, accenting the last two words, while also adding a wink. "You might fall for my new moves."

"You have no idea how much I am going to enjoy this." Weiss narrowed her eyes, but the corners of her mouth twitched. She and Jaune headed to the locker room, while the others talked. A few drones started to repair the arena.

"Weiss is going to freeze him solid," Blake muttered.

"Probably," Yang agreed. "She's always been cold, but now she's turned _Weiss_ cold." Several boos followed and Last Order's laugh.

"Weiss would not really hurt Jaune, right? MISAKA asks nervously. They get along so well."

"They are friends," Pyrrha reassured her. "It's just Weiss never really forgave Jaune for asking her out constantly when they first met. She wants to make sure he doesn't get the wrong idea."

"He won't drop the 'Snow Angel' title either," Nora added. "That annoys her, but Jaune should not back down to threats. Push forward and achieve victory! Team JNPR does not lose!"

"You will today," Yang retorted. "Weiss is going to bring her A-game!"

"Jaune has improved a great deal," Pyrrha said, helping to defend her leader. "But it is true this is not a good match up for him."

"Why? MISAKA asks."

"Weiss uses elemental dust as a range attack," Ren explained. "Jaune is a melee oriented fighter and does not possess long range weapons. If she manages to trap him in ice, he won't be able to do much to stop her." Last Order nodded in understanding.

"However," Blake pointed out. "He is physically stronger than her. If he could, say, close the gap and use that to his advantage, there is a chance he could win." A groan interrupted their conversation as Ruby sat up on the bench.

"My head...," she whined. "I feel like I was hit by a truck."

"That isn't a bad assessment," Yang laughed. "Nora clocked you good."

"Hehe," Nora chuckled. "I guess I don't know my own strength."

"So it's two to one," Ruby muttered and crossed her arms while pouting. "Weiss can't lose this next fight, but I feel like I am missing something important." She sat deep in thought while the others chatted, until Weiss and Jaune returned. Weiss's Myrtenaster, a Multi-Action Dust Rapier, was grasped tightly in her hand, while Jaune's Crocea Mors was sheathed on his hip. They had just taken their place in the ring, while their teammates shouted encouragement, when Ruby remembered what she had forgotten. "WAIT!" she yelled and everyone froze to look at her. "Weiss, you can't win!"

"What?!" Weiss snapped and had a look of confusion and irritation on her face. "I can crush Arc, blindfolded."

"Love you too," Jaune muttered.

"I mean you _can't_!" Ruby elaborated. "If you win, it will be a draw! That means Jaune has to drink poison…"

"It's a health drink," Ren mumbled.

"…and I have to give up cookies for, like, ever! You have to let Jaune win! It's only buying our friends ice cream!" Everyone blinked in surprise. They had actually forgotten that promise until she mentioned it. Weiss looked at her leader closely, her face unreadable.

"So?" Weiss asked.

"Weiss!" cried Ruby indignantly. "I can't go a couple days without cookies! I'll die!"

"No, you won't," Weiss told her. "It will do you some good anyways to eat healthier options." She turned back to Jaune, but there was a trace of amusement on her face. Ruby slumped down on the bench in the front row and looked defeated.

"Nice try, sis," Yang laughed and patted her head. "You are not getting out of this." Ren and Blake both shook their heads.

"Good luck, Jaune!" Pyrrha called out. "Remember, keep your shield up!" Jaune nodded.

"Crush her!" Nora cried out, while putting Ren in a choke hold because she was so excited.

"Go big bro, MISAKA adds giggling as MISAKA likes to call you that." Weiss's eye twitched slightly.

"Jaune!" Ruby called out. "You have to win, for both of us! If you win, I'll give you one of my cookies!"

"Wow, Ruby," Yang burst out laughing. "That could have been a marriage proposal coming from you." Ruby's face turned bright red and she hid under her hood.

"Traitor!" Weiss yelled angrily at her leader.

"Sorry!" Yang yelled back, but she really wasn't. "I'm going to side with Ruby. Jaune's the underdog here." Weiss grumbled and held out her rapier. Jaune could see the murderous gleam in her eye.

 _I'm dead,_ Jaune thought to himself. He heard a click as the dust canister in Weiss's rapier rotated. Her weapon glowed red for a moment before a wave of fire erupted from it when she jabbed it into the ground. Jaune jumped to the side to dodge, since his shield would not have been very useful. As soon as he landed and adjusted his feet, Weiss was already on him and delivered several jabs at his torso. Two were blocked by his shield, but one of the blows slipped passed his guard and hit his other shoulder. He flinched slightly, but the pain receded because of his aura and he swung his sword at her. She parried his clumsy blow effortlessly and struck him twice more. Weiss was a very technical fighter and liked to deliver fast and precise blows. Jaune stumbled back and pushed forward with his shield to try to unbalance Weiss. His move stopped her assault by making her step back, but he heard another clicking sound. _Shit!_ He sidestepped immediately because of his experience and that saved him, though he suddenly felt cold.

A strip of ice jetting from the ground had formed where he had been a moment before.

Weiss had moved about ten feet away, grinning. Jaune's left leg was trapped in the ice. His quick thinking was the only thing that saved him from being completely frozen. The issue was, he could not move and Weiss knew that. A white glyph appeared behind her and she raised her rapier. Jaune quickly struck the ice with his sword, but he wasn't going to break it fast enough. The glyph Weiss summoned would propel her at high speeds in a straight line. Ten feet would be covered in an instant. As soon as she started to move Jaune panicked. He didn't know why he reacted that way, maybe it was all the times Weiss had smacked him around in other matches, but he knew he didn't want to get hit by a glyph propelled strike. His body reacted before he thought about what to do.

He threw his shield, as she close in on him.

The action shocked Weiss. The downside to Weiss's glyph boost was she could only travel in a straight line and had a hard time reacting because of the speed. Her rapier hit the shield and diverted her attack, but she still kept going. Her head hit the edge of the shield and momentarily stunned her, so she forgot Jaune was still in front of her. She crashed into him with enough force to free him from the ice. Jaune's shield clattered to the ground in the distance, while Weiss and Jaune tumbled to the ground. Jaune landed on his back and winced at the pain from the collision. Weiss didn't fare much better and grunted after smashing into his chest plate. Jaune opened his eyes and saw Weiss was on top of him, her face a few inches from his.

"Now kiss!" Yang cheered. Everyone was so focused on the fight, they had all rushed to the front row. Last Order was standing on a bench a couple rows back so she could see, but no one noticed the training room door open and four guys snuck in.

Yang's words snapped Weiss back to reality and she sat up on Jaune. Her rapier was still in her hand, as a result of her extensive training to not let go of her weapon. Weiss had been practicing since the Boarbatusk instance on their first day. She raised her weapon to bring it down at Jaune, when he swung his sword by instinct. He hadn't planned to hit Weiss in the side with the hilt of his sword, but there wasn't enough time to turn the blade at her. She gasped in pain as he hit her and she rolled off him. Jumping to his feet, Jaune tried to press his advantage and swung his sword down at her. He briefly saw his moment of victory and hoped Weiss would finally start treating him with respect. As he brought his sword down, she raised her own rapier and grinned.

Another glyph appeared between them.

Jaune hit the glyph and felt his entire body being pushed backwards. She had used the acceleration glyph against him instead of herself. This knocked him twenty feet away and on his back. She stood up and swung her rapier down. Another wave of ice jettisoned from the ground. This time, she hit her mark and trapped Jaune. His sword fell to the ground and she started to walk towards him. "N-now, Weiss," Jaune stammered, trying to sound casual. "There's no need for violence. I'm beaten." She grinned up at him and jabbed him many times with her rapier. It took a while, because of her limited strength and Jaune's large Aura reserves, possibly she prolonged the torture for fun, but she brought him down to thirty percent.

"I win," Weiss stated and walked away from him.

"You could let me out!" Jaune called out to her, but she ignored him. When she reached the others, she smiled at Ruby. "No cookies for you."

"You are so meeeaaannnn!" Ruby cried and curled up into a ball.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha yelled and rushed to save him from his icy prison.

"He almost had you," Blake told Weiss and pointed to her Aura. She was at sixty-two percent. It was a respectable margin, but not good enough for a perfectionist like Weiss.

"I let my guard down," she admitted. "That was my fault. I should have expected the dolt to panic." In order to improve, she had to learn from her mistakes. Weiss turned to Yang. "And you need to stop with your stupid comments."

"Whatever," Yang replied with an eye roll, as Jaune and Pyrrha joined them. "If he had kissed you, I bet your brain would have stopped working and he could have won easily."

"Then he would have been castrated," Weiss answered simply, refusing to give Yang any reaction.

"Which I would prefer did not happen," Jaune added.

"You did really well," Nora congratulated him. "Throwing your shield to disrupt her rhythm almost worked. If she had been a normal dust user without glyphs, you totally would have won."

"You didn't let up when she was down," Ren added. "That is a key to fighting them."

"You fought well too," Ruby said to Weiss, but her tone was a little flat. "Though, your performance is going to make me suffer."

"It's not that bad," Weiss sighed. "But maybe now you will learn to not make bets about your teammates."

"It was only a friendly wager involving ice cream," Ruby protested.

"And it cost you cookies," Blake commented from behind her book.

"So what now, Fearless Leader?" Nora asked. "We heading to Vale for fun? I'm ready for more excitement, and I'm also kind of hungry after all this exercise."

"I suppose," Jaune said with a shrug. "Unless anyone else has a-…"

"Let MISAKA go! MISAKA yells angrily as MISAKA struggles futilely against your grip." Everyone spun around and saw Cardin, along with the rest of TEAM CRDL; Russel Thrush, Sky Lark, and Dove Bronzewing. Cardin held Last Order up in the air one handed by the back of her collar and she was thrashing around. All of them had their weapons and armor on their persons. They must have been planning to practice when they saw the others.

"CARDIN!" Jaune roared. "Let her go!"

"Chill, Jauney-boy," Cardin laughed. "I'm just saying hi to your sister. She seems to have gotten the wrong impression of me when we first met."

"She got the right impression!" Ruby yelled. "You are a bully." The rest of Team CRDL laughed.

"You have a lot of nerve," Yang said and slammed her hands together while her gauntlets cocked themselves. "Be prepared to taste dirt."

"I think they are going to attack us for no reason, Cardin," Russel mocked and turned to his leader.

"They are pretty violent," Cardin agreed.

"I'm about to show you how violent I can be!" Nora yelled and tried to charge forward. It took Ren, Blake, and Pyrrha to hold her back. Weiss stepped forward.

"You know you can be expelled over kidnapping," she pointed out. Her voice was calm, but the tone was easily at zero degrees Kelvin. "Assuming you aren't hospitalized for the rest of your time at Beacon." She drew her rapier.

"Threatening to hospitalize other students can get you in trouble too," Dove laughed. "We aren't doing anything except talking."

"MISAKA is warning you, MISAKA says threateningly. If you do not let MISAKA go, you will be killed."

"By who?" Cardin laughed.

"Him, MISAKA says triumphantly as MISAKA points to your downfall." Everyone turned to look where she was pointing. A lone figure was standing at the entrance to the training room and looking at Cardin. He had white hair, red eyes, and a slightly burnt black and white shirt. He also had a murderous aura around him that was almost tangible. Malice and anger radiated off him so great, the others could feel it beginning to burn. He started walking forward and the floor beneath him began to crack. Cardin and his team did not recognize him, but the others did, especially Team JNPR. They had actually seen him fight. After a second of stunned silence, Nora finally spoke.

"Break their legs, Accelerator!" He paused and looked at her for a moment.

"Okay," he agreed. "But I'm not going to stop there."

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **Current Ship Names:**

 **Yang and Touma: Fistbump / Golden Dragon**

 **Ruby and Touma: Blossoming / Black Rose**

 **Blake and Touma: Nine Lives / Bad Luck**

 **Emerald and Touma: Shattered Illusions / Illusion Breaker**

 **Twins and Touma: Triple Threat**

 **Cinder X Touma: Through the Fire and Flame**

 **Accelerator and Weiss: Cold and Calculating / Ice Vector**

 **Accelerator and Yang: Road Rage / Short Fuse / Way of the Dragon**

 **Accelerator x Ruby: One-Way Rose**

 **Accelerator x Blake: Twilight Arrow**

 **Carin's going to die, or at least be hospitalized. The ending also made me realize, would Nora x Accelerator ship be "Broken Bones?"**


	9. Introductions

**Holy crap, the number of comments sky rocketed compared to the previous ones. You guys really wanted Accelerator to appear and kick ass. I was torn about what to do with this chapter, give you what you want, or keep you waiting for a bit. To move the story along, I decided to go with your demands. You have been waiting for quite a while. There were also some comments about Touma not getting a lot of screen time, so that will be rectified shortly. There's currently about three different plot lines going on in this story, so until they converge, expect some different views. Now that Accelerator is awake, he might have to actually socialize with Team RWBY and JNPR, I'm sure he is going to LOVE that. Battle of the Ice King vs the Ice Queen.**

 **Adv: Wouldn't be Accelerator if he didn't.**

 **KisaragiKei: Your reasoning isn't bad for the ship name, but I'm just not feeling it. Names got to be short, sweet, and rolls off the tongue. Any relationship will have to bypass his tsundere nature, which would require someone who won't take no for an answer. The part about playing with his food will be evident here.**

 **Guest: Last Order told Team RWBY and JNPR, remember? You can't honestly believe Ozpin wouldn't be able to spy on people inside the school if needed.**

 **crazie194: Hormonal teenagers stuck in a world with death being a possibility to monsters? Stuff happens. It might be tough for Weiss and Accelerator to get together, but both are pretty nice once you get past their icy exterior. Someone like Yang, who doesn't take no for an answer, or Ruby, who is similar to Last Order in her personality, might have a better shot. You know Touma doesn't believe people would like him. Someone would have to be painfully blunt for him to realize that. Not sure how he would react if they can't find a way back and a girl actually tells him she likes him.**

 **Artyom-Dreizehn: Your hate fuels me. There will be some similar events, since a couple random people won't change everything. I'm sure you will see what event I'm referring too. However, there is the butterfly effect and some large changes will occur. I try to keep them accurate, but it's tough in many situations.**

 **dickythamrin077: If we had time, tickets would have been sold. I've always been torn between Arkos and Lancaster, but Volume four made the decision for me, still sad though.**

 **TykkiMikk: I changed broken to shattered so that I could use broken with dreams. Didn't want all the names to similar. I doubt there would ever be a chance for that ship to sail, but we can dream.**

 **SyQadelic: Cry like a bitch.**

 **The Rupture: I don't know about that. Keeping his power a little lower since there are a few weak points would make fights more interesting. 206 bones in the human body and he can break each one. Vector manipulation with magic and Aura will be interesting in many situations. Jaune's ability is so amazing, we can't show it because it would overshadow everyone else. Touma will appear shortly.**

 **ultron emperor: But for that to happen, Nora would have to leave Ren. That could never happen. I felt like the two worlds would combine to make a good crossover. Good to know you approve.**

 **Salishious: Bad luck has already been stated, but fits them perfectly. Read Below fits Neo, by why Touma? How do crosses work with Accelerator and Weiss? White Rose is already a Weiss x Ruby ship name. Huh, forgot about Glynda. Come up with a more interesting ship name and we will talk. Accelerator would find that highly amusing. If Roman gets eaten by a griffin, Neo needs to follow someone, right?**

 **Guest: It makes you come back for more.**

 **Spartastic 4: The amount of hate for that cliffhanger made it all worthwhile. This one doesn't really have one though.**

 **Accelerator7460: Based on your name, I can tell you like Accelerator.**

 **Memento Mori - The Truth: Well, I can agree on Imagine Dragon, but I probably won't do any crack fics for a long time, because I can always add an omake for that.**

 **Guest: 1) White and silver really aren't shadows of gray. 2) That's stretching it. 3) I meant Bad Girl and Good boy is kind of generic. 4) Polar Opposite seems like a good Pyrrha x Emerald ship name. 5) I can add that, don't have a lot Touma x Cinder stuff. As for the one with Velvet x Touma, I like that.**

 **Asler: That sounds kind of mean to Velvet, haha.**

 **SpiderhunterXXX: I'm not a professional and I do it for fun. I'm going to alternate between my two active stories, so minimum of two to three weeks. I write for fun and thus will not write if I don't feel like doing it that day.**

 **HikariNiwa: And that is how the story ends. Salem says with she is given Touma, the Grimm would disappear and peace would come to Remnant.**

 **Croniklerx: I have never pretended to be a professional writer. This is purely for entertainment. Between the Clones, Worst refers to herself in third person, Imouto (others) also explains facial expressions, and Last Order adds narrating actions. I appreciate the constructive criticism, emphasis on constructive. Dialogue has always been one of the hardest things for me to do. I've been trying to work on spelling/grammar and it gets inadvertently added to dialogue. Been trying to make it flow a little better, but then also differ people's ways of talking. 'Knight and Lady' sounds like a Jaune x Weiss ship, Prince and Princess might be better. Actually, I kind of like that. Also like your Velvet x Accelerator one. Dang, you have some good shipping names. Added a bunch to the list and you can see for yourself. Won't ship Last Order, because she is effectively ten. What makes you think I'm a Dragonforce fan?**

 **Wiliamsusanto: Team CRDL can't win.**

 **LL: Grim fist isn't bad. It's not like they could imagine one person fighting a kingdom, let alone a world. They would need an army. Though, I was actually thinking about what would happen if Penny touched Touma's hand. Lots of ideas there. He would enjoy that world too much.**

 **FireDusk: I read your ideas for Accelerator x Ruby and immediately thought of No Breaks. Not a big fan of the other two though.**

 **WiliamZ0: I like Thorny Rose over Black Rose, less generic. A little help might be able to prevent some bad events, but open the future up to butterfly effects they can't predict. I think only Weiss could provide Accelerator entertainment because her Glyphs would react unusually. Everyone else relies on physical attacks. Though, Ren's Aura fists might cause some problems at first. Jaune's Semblance may be able to work too. Accelerator can drop rocks on Touma and win that way, but he won't anymore. Touma will die then, or regenerate. Normal hero skills. Japanese would be a secret to most, except Ozpin. Aleister is usually on top of things, so I don't doubt that. Time flows between dimensions is weird and should never be assumed. I'll post the gay pairings just because. Trip to Vale has an important purpose.**

 **cloud666: That is a good one.**

 **Guest: Need a good name for them. Something very specific that fits them. I won't accept anything but the best.**

 **JN: Doesn't make a lot of sense in that regard.**

 **CompuBob: Can't involve the RWBY universe without naming pairs. It's part of the fun, but the story shall continue.**

 **Mr. Self-Deprecation: You should definitely watch it. A lot of jokes and information will be missed if you don't.**

 **RPGPersona: Nah, Nora picked Hammer and lost because of rules. The bath scene was mostly for Pyrrha to get some screen time. Not sure how valuable some of that information will be. I couldn't resist the scene between cats and electromancers. Ruby pulls other people at super speed all the time. She just has a weight limit. Having their first glimpse of Touma was huge, and Ozpin wouldn't let someone with that much power run free without an idea of what he is capable of. Makes sense for an Electromaster to identify magnetism. Jaune is the Fearless Leader and Blood Jaune of Team JNPR. His orders are absolute. Team CRDL are not the sharpest tools in the shed.**

 **Pheonix: Maybe at some point. Who are we kidding, it will happen.**

 **Daniel Huffman: Not sure it was a real twist. I think people saw it happening.**

 **Rekyuu: He's just a male Weiss… with a lot more power.**

 **Kiri Kaitou Clover: I am going to constantly update. It just takes time since this is for fun and I actually have a job that takes up most of my week.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY**.

* * *

"Who's the wimp?" Cardin asked the rest of his group, but they only shrugged.

"No idea," Russel replied. He turned to Accelerator. "Get lost before you get hurt."

"That's rich," Accelerator laughed mockingly. "I don't see anyone here capable of hurting me. Are they hiding behind you four morons?" Nora opened her mouth to insist she could hurt him, but Ren threw his hand over it. Team RWBY and JNPR all seemed to realize they should just watch. Of course, there were a few who were hoping for Cardin to get what he deserved.

"What was that!?" Cardin raged. "Do you have any idea who you are talking to!?"

"A monkey who escaped the zoo," Accelerator stated. It was not a question. Yang, Nora, Jaune, and Ruby began to snicker, which only made Cardin grow more furious.

"Russel," he ordered. "Kick this scrawny loser's ass!"

"No problem." Russel walked over to Accelerator and cracked his knuckles. "Any last words before you eat dust?" He didn't even bother to draw his daggers. Against a small and skinny boy, he saw no reason to need them. There was no way he would be overpowered. Accelerator smirked and looked up at him without the slightest trace of fear. Instead, he reached a hand forward, with his index finger touching his thumb, and stopped right before Russel's chest. A look of confusion appeared on Russel's face. "What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Accelerator asked sarcastically. "I'm going to flick you."

"Flick me?" Russel responded, dumbstruck. A second later, he burst out laughing and turned to the others. "You hear that guys? He's going to flick me."

"Try not to pass out," Dove jeered and Sky laughed. Russel turned back to Accelerator.

"Okay, idiot," he said and pulled back his fist. "This is going to hurt you a lot more than it's going to hurt me." Before he had a chance to do anything, Accelerator responded by simply flicking his finger forward. Only one person truly knew the effect of that simple motion, and she had stopped struggling in Cardin's grip. Team JNPR had seen Accelerator fight briefly, but Weiss had explained what Accelerator was capable of once they discovered his power. None of them knew how easy it was for him to use though. Poor Team CRDL had absolutely no idea what the monster that stood before them, disguised as a skinny boy, was going to do. The effect was instantaneous when Accelerator's finger made contact with Russel's chest.

 _BOOM!_

A blur flew over the heads of everyone in Team RWBY, JNPR, and CRDL. The crash was caused by Russel's body hitting the wall far behind them. There had been enough force applied to cause a small crater in the solid stone. Russel's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he let out a small involuntary gasp of pain. A couple pieces of rock broke free as his body went limp and fell forward. There was a dull thud when finally he hit the ground, unconscious. If there weren't signs he was still breathing, the others might have thought he had been killed. Aura was truly a powerful shield. The rest of Team CRDL turned in shock and stared at their teammate.

"Holy shit!" Yang spouted out.

"Language!" Ruby reprimanded and held out jar labeled 'Swear Jar'. Yang grumbled and put a Lien in.

"Told you he was capable of throwing an Ursa!" Nora cheered excitedly.

"Will they be okay?" Pyrrha asked. Jaune really wanted to say, who cares, but he was focused on Last Order.

"They have no one to blame, except themselves," Blake pointed out. Even though she was pleased someone was sticking up to those racist bullies, her hand rested on her weapon in case things got out of hand. Ren was in a similar position. Even though Cardin and his team were messing with Last Order, that sort of reaction by Accelerator was getting close to overkill. Jaune scooted a little closer in the direction of Cardin. Weiss held her rapier up and was prepared to strike the moment there was an opening. She was furious at Cardin for threatening a little girl.

"That bastard's crazy!" Cardin yelled to the others. "Get him!" Dove pulled out his sword and Sky raised his axe. They were no longer going to treat Accelerator like a weak pest. Anyone who could throw someone that far had to be a Hunter. Overcome by anger, they did not even notice the boy's aura had not been unlocked. Though the members of Team CRDL were known bullies, they were still Hunters in training and did have some skill. Dove rushed forward to attack from Accelerator's left and Sky struck from the right. The theory was Accelerator would be hard-pressed to block both strikes. If he tried to dodge one, the other person would hit him. Those poor souls had no idea what they were facing. Accelerator only continued to smirk and didn't even try to defend himself. The axe and sword struck him simultaneously.

"Ahhh!" Sky and Dove cried out, as the weapons immediately flew back in their hands. The force was too great for them to maintain their grips and their weapons were ripped from their hands. Pain flooded their arm from the reflection. They just managed to step on the ground after their leap, when Accelerator moved both of his arms out to his side. His hands only managed to scraped Sky and Dove, but that was enough. Both of them were blown away instantly. Sky actually crashed through the wall of the training room and fell into the hallway outside. Dove sailed across the room and crashed into the wall, leaving a crater similar to Russel. He managed to stay conscious, most likely because he traveled the greatest distance and the air resistance slowed him down slightly. Cardin took a step back, unaware he moved closer to a group of people who wanted to see him suffer.

"MISAKA did try to warn you, MISAKA states solemnly, as MISAKA prepares for your funeral. He will not show you mercy." Cardin glanced down at her.

"Shut up, brat!" he snapped. "I'll use you as a shield if I have to." Ruby gasped in the background. Last Order did not take kindly to that. Only Accelerator got off calling her a brat, because he didn't actually mean it and only had a hard time expressing himself. She started unleashing her electricity all around herself and the sudden discharge caused Cardin to let her go in surprise. "You little…!" Cardin fumed and prepared to strike her, but two people were already moving to intercept. Jaune had reached down and struck Cardin in the side of the face with his fist, while reaching down with his free hand to grab Last Order. The surprise blow knocked Cardin off balance for a second, but it was long enough for Jaune to get away. Before Cardin could retaliate, he noticed the primary threat. An explosion had gone off below Accelerator's feat and he rocketed forward with his hand out stretched, aiming directly for Cardin's face. Cardin's reflexes saved him and he raised an arm to block Accelerator. Accelerator didn't seem to mind and gripped his wrist instead.

"I'm going to enjoy breaking you," Accelerator whispered. Cardin was not given a chance to respond, as he felt his body fly to his right into the center of the ring. He bounced a few times before skidding to a stop. Accelerator then glanced over at the spectators for a moment. He recognized four of them and his eyes lingered on Jaune, who was carrying Last Order in one hand. He gave him a brief nod, which Jaune returned. It was a simple gesture of Accelerator acknowledging Jaune, who in returned promised to watch Last Order. The bleachers beneath Accelerator exploded and he launched himself into the air. He landed in the middle of the arena, about twenty feet from Cardin.

"What the hell is with you?" Cardin demanded. "I've never seen you before and the girl there is Jauney Boy's sister. What the fuck is your stake in all this?"

"Stake?" Accelerator asked with mock confusion. _So the_ c _over story is the brat is the idiot's sister? Makes sense in a weird way._ "Why would I need a stake in this? I just don't like you. Besides," he gestured to the onlookers. "I'm pretty sure you are actually hated more than I am. That is a welcome change of pace."

"KILL HIM!" Nora roared. "I'll help hide the body!"

"Nora," Ren sighed. "We can't encourage-…"

"KILL HIM!" Yang echoed. Ren dropped in his seat and Blake gave him a pat on the back. The two quiet individuals shared a moment of unity at the rambunctious antics of their partners.

"Yang!" Ruby admonished. "It's one thing to break his legs, but we can't kill him! No matter how much of a jerk and bully he is, he's still a Hunter in training!" She turned to Weiss. "Help me stop this before it gets out of hand. Weiss, pleeaaasseee!" Weiss looked over at her and nodded briefly.

"No, don't, stop," Weiss said in a monotone, absolutely no enthusiasm. "Idiots, behave yourselves."

"That wasn't convincing at all!" Ruby declared angrily.

"Should we step in?" Pyrrha whispered to Jaune. "It doesn't seem like Accelerator can hold back." She gripped her sword and it transformed into a spear.

"I think he did," Jaune muttered to her. "Cardin's team is still alive. Remember what he did to those Beowolves? I think he is just making sure they don't mess with Last Order again." He made a fist in anticipation. _I really hope he does decide to keep holding back. Cardin's an ass, but he doesn't deserve to be killed or crippled for life. I wish I was stronger so I could be the one to protect someone like Last Order._

"Last Order," Pyrrha asked the girl. "Will he stop…. before going too far?"

"MISAKA thinks he will, MISAKA says as MISAKA tries to sound reassuring, but MISAKA fidgets nervously. It depends on how much he understands about your Aura power. MISAKA tried to warn Cardin, but he would not let MISAKA go, MISAKA adds."

"No one is blaming you," Jaune told her quickly. "He brought this on himself." Back in the ring, Accelerator stuck his hands in his pocket and continued to mock Cardin.

"You think you are so special," Cardin growled, as he raised his mace. "Just because you have a strength enhancing Semblance, doesn't mean you can look down on me."

"Strength enhancing?" Accelerator asked sarcastically. "I suppose it does look that way to someone with an IQ less than room temperature." He leaned forward and sneered. "But don't worry about that. You see, I look down at you because you are trash who can only talk big."

"I'm going to enjoy shutting that mouth!" Cardin charged forward and raised his large mace to crush Accelerator with a single blow. This action was futile, but he still had no idea about Accelerator's power. The fight would have ended if Accelerator had let the hit connect, but he wanted to torture the guy who messed with Last Order first.

"Too slow," he sneered and stamped his left foot on the ground. The floor exploded and a barrage of stone pieces flew at Cardin, with the force of a shotgun blast at point blank range. Cardin couldn't lower his mace in time and was hit directly. He stumbled back, but his Aura absorbed most of the impact and he was relatively unharmed. "I met brats faster than that. Why don't you show me something entertaining?"

"You want entertaining!?" Cardin shot back. "Try this!" He raised his mace high above his head and slammed it down onto the ground. Cardin kept powdered fire dust in his mace and he could ignite it with his aura. The head of the mace opened and an explosion went off at the point of impact. A wave of fire erupted and rush toward Accelerator. He only grinned and let himself get engulfed without even trying to dodge. There were gasps from the crowd and Cardin laughed. "Not so tough now, are you?"

"Who said that?" The mocking voice caused Cardin to freeze and he could only look up in shock as the flames parted around Accelerator. "Heh, fire dust I presume. Shame, I already encountered it." Wind erupted all around him and blew out the flames.

"What the hell…?"

"You will see hell soon enough," Accelerator told him. "Right now, I have a promise to keep." He turned toward the audience. "Hey, girl!" he called out while looking directly at Nora. "What did you want me to do when I arrived?" A huge grin exploded on her face and Ren was not fast enough.

"BREAK HIS LEGS!"

"Looks like your fate has been decided," Accelerator commented, as he turned back to Cardin.

"Like hell it has!" He swung his mace at Accelerator, who only sighed. The mace hit him and immediately rocketed off in the opposite direction. The force was great enough to actually blow it out of Cardin's hand. Accelerator reached up and lightly tapped Cardin's chest plate, sending him flying backwards diagonally at the ground. Cardin cried out in pain and it took a moment to reorient himself. He was lying on the ground, with Accelerator walking slowly toward him. The boy's eyes were red and the grin on his face showed he was not planning to be merciful. He stood over Cardin's body and raised a foot.

"MR. ACCELERATOR!" a strict female voice cried out. Everyone froze and turned to the training room entrance. Standing there, with her riding crop raised and looking furious, was Glynda.

"Sup, Goodwitch," Accelerator greeted her nonchalantly, without the slightest trace of fear.

"What is going on here!?" she demanded, as she stomped over to them. Cardin breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't going to die right there and he might be able to pass off this Accelerator guy as the aggressor. "Well?"

"It was-…" Accelerator started to state, when someone unexpected interrupted.

"Training accident," Weiss called.

"Training accident?" Glynda repeated skeptically and turned toward her. Weiss left the others and walked over.

"Yes, professor," Weiss confirmed. "You see, Ruby and Jaune decided a friendly spar between our teams would help get us out of any ruts we accidently found ourselves in from practicing against our teammates. We had just finished, when Team CRDL arrived and challenged us. We were planning to politely decline, when Accelerator here arrived and volunteered to take our place." Accelerator raised an eyebrow at the girl. First impressions told him she was one of those people who came from a high class background. She always appeared rather intelligent, compared to most of the others. Cardin stood up and dusted himself off, not that anyone noticed. "They underestimated him and the results speak for themselves," Weiss continued and pointed to the members of Team CRDL in turn. Dove and Russel had regained consciousness, but Sky was still lying unconscious in the hallway. "They were lucky he was going easy on them, or they could have been seriously hurt." Accelerator felt an involuntary grin.

 _That girl saw through me, not bad._

"Is this true?" Glynda asked everyone present.

"We were definitely not planning to break his-…" Ren covered Nora's mouth with his hand and the rest of Team RWBY and JNPR nodded in agreement, but Accelerator only shrugged. Cardin was Glynda's final target with her stare.

"Is this true Mr. Winchester? If not, please tell me what events transpired to cause Mr. Accelerator to cause this much damage with your team?" Cardin realized he was trapped. He would have to give some kind of excuse and none came to mind that would have ended without punishment. He didn't know anything about Accelerator, like who he was and why he was there.

"Yes, ma'am," Cardin replied quickly.

"I see." The look in her eyes told everyone she doubted this was what transpired, but it wasn't like she could just call them out without proof. Besides, it actually sounded like something that could happen. Cardin and his team challenged RWBY and JNPR when they were tired in hopes of getting an easy win. Accelerator showed up and probably argued with Cardin, which lead to the challenge. None of that was strictly against school rules, but she wished they would act more like adults. There was more damage than a normal spar, but she had seen worst, usually when dust was involved. "Well then, Mr. Winchester. Please take your team to the infirmary. Mr. Lark looks like he needs it."

"Right away." Cardin help get Russel and Dove up, before the three of them grabbed their weapons. They also retrieved Sky's weapon and picked him up, before heading to the infirmary. Glynda waited for them to leave, before turning to Accelerator.

"I'm pretty sure I know what really happened," she stated. "But please keep the destruction of school property to a minimum." Accelerator raised an eyebrow as she raised her riding crop. All the rubble and debris created during his fight began to rise into the air and move back into place. She couldn't fix all the damage, but the wall Sky crashed through reformed and sealed up. The craters were compressed stone, so Glynda's telekinesis would not be effective. "This way, please." She led Accelerator and Weiss toward the others, who had frozen up under her glare. "Mr. Arc?"

"Yes?" Jaune replied quickly.

"I'm going to leave Mr. Accelerator with you," Glynda told him. "Help him get used to life in Beacon. Sleeping arrangements will be discussed this evening." She straightened her glasses. "Are you agreeable?"

"Sure," Jaune replied. "We figured he would want to stay with Last Order anyways and there are only a few of us who know about… their situation."

"I suggest you get started then," Glynda continued. "This room needs to be repaired because of your antics." Jaune received the message loud and clear. He nodded quickly and gestured everyone out. Accelerator gave one last look at Glynda, before following the others. As soon as they left the room, Last Order ran full speed at him and latched on to his arm.

"MISAKA is so happy to see you walking around! MISAKA cries as MISAKA wipes her tears on your sleeve." She looked up at him. "MISAKA is confused at how you are even walking, MISAKA adds."

"A few beasts wouldn't keep me down," Accelerator stated simply. "Ozpin's people used their special dust drug to actually heal my old injures. Might have to see if I can take some with us when he figures out how to send us back." He took his free head and riffled Last Order's hair "Good to see you are okay too, brat."

"He reminds me of Uncle Crow when he sees Ruby," Yang whispered to Blake.

"Why?"

"Pretends not to care, but totally does."

"MISAKA wants to introduce you to all her new friends, MISAKA says excitedly, as MISAKA starts pulling your arm knowing you will try to resist meeting new people." Ruby and Yang snickered at this.

"Whatever," Accelerator muttered resigned, with a rolled his eyes. "I have to talk to that guy anyways." He jabbed his thumb at Jaune. Last Order nodded.

"MISAKA thought as much, MISAKA agrees, as MISAKA understands the importance of thanking someone for their help. We have all day to play anyways." She let him go and skipped around. She was always full of energy. Accelerator shook his head and walked over to Jaune.

"Hey," Jaune greeted and held out a hand. "Good to see you up and about."

"I figured I owed you thanks for finding the brat," Accelerator replied and shook his hand. "I didn't actually expect you to pull through though."

"I take promises very seriously," Jaune protested. "But we weren't the ones who found her. Last Order wasn't in the forest, she found her way into Vale. Ruby and her team found her and brought her to Beacon." He pointed at Ruby.

"We are just that awesome!" Ruby bragged and puffed out her chest.

"Didn't you find her by accident?" Blake asked from behind her book, so the others missed her smirk.

"He didn't have to know," Ruby whined, but the damage was done already and she deflated.

"She's safe," Accelerator finally said. "So details don't really matter to me."

"Oh," Jaune realized. "We never were formally introduced. Name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it." Several girls started laughing behind him, Yang and Nora being the loudest, one girl sighed, and he finally realized what he did. "Crap, I did it again," he muttered mortified. Accelerator stared at him for a moment.

"Looks like I was right," he said. "You are an idiot."

"Thank you!" Weiss cried and threw her hands up. "He gets it!" Accelerator raised an eyebrow at her.

"Who are you, princess?"

"He's got your number too, Weiss!" Yang called out.

"Weiss Schnee," Weiss introduced herself professionally, while ignoring Yang. She didn't shake Accelerator's hand, but gave a short curtsy. "And it's not princess. I'm the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company."

"Good for you," Accelerator said in a bored tone. For a second, Weiss looked scandalous, but quickly remembered he would have no idea what the SDC was. Suddenly, Accelerator felt his arm shake and he saw a small girl with a red cloak shaking his hand vigorously. He didn't even see her approach, but the smell of roses hung in the air.

"Hi, Accelerator," Ruby said excitedly. "My name is Ruby Rose, leader of Team RWBY. Last Order told us so much about you and if you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

"Sure, whatever."

"Do you like weapons?" Ruby asked, as her expression turned serious. Accelerator was slightly confused by the sudden change in topic.

"I appreciate a good handgun," he replied with a shrug. "Lost mine before coming here." He was not used to talking this much, but the group of people in front of him had a presence that virtually forced him to.

"We can change that easily," Ruby exclaimed excitedly and her eyes flashed. "Oh, I have this thing-…"

"You can show him Crescent Rose some other time," Yang said and pushed Ruby away from Accelerator. "If we let her start talking about weapons, we won't get another word in today. The name's Yang Xiao-Long, Ruby's older sister. Good to finally meet the champ I heard could throw an Ursa." Keeping a protesting Ruby away with one arm, she shook Accelerator's hand with the other. For fun, she squeezed tighter than she would have normally. It worked at first, but then she felt her fingers open up on their own. There was also a slight drain on her Aura and she noticed Accelerator staring at her, so she grinned and played it off. "Like what you see?" she asked seductively.

 _She really flirts with everyone,_ Weiss thought annoyed.

"I'm out of your league," Accelerator told her and turned. Yang's world seemed to have crashed down around her as she spluttered incoherently. Weiss was trying very hard to hold back her laughter. No one told Yang Xiao-Long that and got away with it. It only took a tiny bit of effort on her part, a revealed thigh or a glimpse of her chest and boys became putty in her hands. Her first reaction was to immediately find out how to get her revenge. Lost in planning, she didn't notice her partner draw Accelerator's attention.

"Blake Belladonna." Accelerator turned to see the dark haired girl speak to him. "While it was amusing to see you put Yang in her place, be warned. She's going to do everything in her power to embarrass you."

"I'll keep an eye out," He told her unconcerned.

"That's what she wants." Accelerator frowned as she walked away.

 _What does she mean by that?_

"That was Team RWBY." Jaune interrupted his thoughts. "The other three are on Team JNPR with me." He gestured to the redheaded Spartan. "This is my partner, Pyrrha."

"Hello again," Pyrrha told him. "Do you remember me?"

"Vaguely." Accelerator had seen all of Team JNPR but, with his consciousness fading, Jaune was the one he remembered most. "You helped out in the forest?" She nodded.

"We spent quite a bit of time looking for Last Order," she told him. "Imagine our relief when our friends found her safe and sound."

"Yeah," was his only response to that statement. Pyrrha could tell he didn't want to say something, so she let the matter drop.

"MISAKA was enjoying the sights in the city and followed your orders about what to do when MISAKA got lost, MISAKA interjects, as MISAKA wants to make sure you understand she did what she was supposed to do." Accelerator gave her a brief nod.

"The one in green is Lie Ren," Jaune continued, while Ren gave a nod of his head.

"NORA!" the ginger suddenly appeared in front of him. She shook his arm so hard, his entire body felt it and he swore he was lifted a couple inches off the ground. He almost used his reflection to protect himself, before the girl let go. "My name is Nora Valkyrie. Ren and I are best friends and are together, but not together-together." She must have been holding herself back while introductions were being said, because she was in full blown question mode. "How did you get so strong? Can you teach me how to throw an Ursa a mile? Or is it some super-secret move you can't show? I bet you named all your special abilities, right? Like that flick? I would totally call it Vector Point, because you end up pointing in the end. So, do you like Beacon? I really want to thank you for beating up Cardin's team too. They are jerks and keep trying to bother our Fearless Leader. It's about time they got their just desserts… speaking of desserts, I'm kind of hungry, though that's not really your fault. I'm thinking pancakes with ice cream. You like pancakes, right? If you like waffles, we probably can't be friends. Just kidding, I would still be your friend, only to show you the glory of pan-…"

"Nora!" Ren stated firmly. "Breath." Nora stopped talking and took in a deep breath.

"I only heard rambling," Accelerator told Nora, who frowned and then immediately smiled again. It was hard to keep her down for long.

"Doesn't matter," she said cheerfully. "The only thing I'm sad about is the fact Goodwitch stopped you before you broke Cardin's legs." Accelerator stared at her for a moment.

"You're alright," he finally said and Nora beamed at him.

"You have no idea what you just did," Ren muttered as he face palmed.

"I know we are going to be best friends," Nora cheered and put Accelerator into a massive hug. "After Ren, of course. Let's fight in one of the other training rooms. I want to figure out how strong you are."

"And now you annoy me," Accelerator gasped, as he reflected Nora's arms off him so he could breath.

"Complete 180 there, Nora," Jaune pointed out.

* * *

"So that's him?"

"Being the only human here besides me and Neo," Roman replied. "I would say your deductive skills are spot on."

"Don't patronize me, Roman," the man growled. He was tall, easily towering over Roman, with red and brown hair that spiked backwards in a windswept way. While most of his hair was red, a portion of it in the back and several streaks were brown. Two horns can be seen on either side of his head. He wore a long-sleeved black trench coat with slit sleeves. There were red designs around a white symbol on the left side. His trench coat was red on the inside with red flame-like accents at the bottom and his wilting rose emblem emblazed on the back over a white floral design. The trench coat was half-buttoned, exposing a red shirt with a black line running parallel to the collar under it. A long thin sword was sheathed and attached to his hip. A White Fang mask covered his eyes and part of his face. "Or I'll strike you down were you stand."

"No need to be so hot-tempered, Adam," Roman laughed. "Must be that bull part of you." Adam Taurus reached down and gripped the hilt of his blade. The two of them were standing on the roof of an underground building looking over a train being loaded. Touma Kamijou was standing further away from the train, but the other White Fang members were working. "Neo has had some fun with him, but his ability is worth pretending to be all goody-goody around him. I take it your mutts told you what he has done?"

"Watch it," Adam warned again. "Cinder may say you're useful, but test my patience and this partnership is off." His eyes fell back onto Touma. "If it wasn't for all those witnesses, I would never have believed a human was willing to risk so much for Faunus."

"I'm working with you," Roman pointed out and twirled his cane.

"Only under threats of violence and bribes." Adam paused. "How did you convince him?"

"I just told him about the Faunus plight under humans," Roman answered simply. "The White Fang is fighting oppression and all this dust is going to help them. I might have lied a bit about it going to cities with heavy Faunus populations, but he would never agree to help us if he knew the real purpose of all this dust. There ends up being two main reasons he is working for me. One, I'm helping him find some of his friends who are lost, and, two, he truly believes in helping the downtrodden. Worth it."

"His power to repel Grimm is certainly speeding things along," Adam agreed. "It makes his presence worthwhile."

"Neo and I are still observing what all his power can do," Roman laughed. "But it seems the longer he is in one area, the further Grimm retreat. Maybe his power leaves something behind that grows in concentration to increase the range, or the Grimm just realized an area has been claimed. They don't even try to get into the nearby tunnels anymore. We only need a limited number of scouts, the rest can work on the train. Luckily, there are a few underground tunnels that lead past the Grimm blockade around us, otherwise we would be stuck here. Can't complain too much though, the growing wall of Grimm around the mountain will keep people from sneaking up on us."

"Any reason he's not working and just watching my people labor?" Adam asked.

"Don't want him handling dust if we can help it."

"Why?"

"On touch, the boy's hand can erase Grimm," Roman explained. "We wanted to see if that power affects anything else, so we tried it on dust. Last night, while he was sleeping, Neo stuck a dust crystal into his hand. The crystal vanished."

"You mean reacted and burnt out."

"No, it actually disappeared without a trace. No explosion, no residue, nothing."

"If it is only by touch," Adam pointed out. "He won't erase the dust already packaged."

"Remember," Roman pointed out with a roll of his eyes. "His power seems to grow in intensity against the Grimm if he stays in one place, so I'm taking precautions in case his continued presence will start erasing the dust near him. We need every bit we acquired. Use your head a bit." Adam growled angrily. "Easy there, we are all on the same side. I just get impatient when people can't understand simple logic."

"I don't trust you," Adam told him. "You always look out for yourself first and I know you are willing to throw my men away like trash."

"You mean like at the docks?" Roman asked. "I explained that already. It was either retreat with the dust and leave the stragglers behind, or the entire operation would have failed."

"And I told you I don't believe that shit," Adam snapped. "I trust that kid more than I could trust you, and he's a human I never met before. My people actually witnessed him save her from a pack of Grimm, unlike you, who only says you fight for our side. When, conveniently, no one else is around."

"He did save that one Faunus spy," Roman agreed. "I feel like she is someone important to you."

"Keep your nose out of my business," Adam said coldly. "Or your head is going to be rolling on the ground." There was no way he was going to tell Roman about his relationship with the traitor Blake. They had been partners before she left the White Fang, and the organization did not forgive traitors. However, some of the members told him about how the boy rushed into the middle of a pack of Grimm to save her. Adam believed there was still a chance to make her see the truth about the White Fang's actions, so he was grateful she was spared. It was the only reason he was giving that human a chance and not strike him down on the spot.

"Just making small talk," Roman replied quickly and chuckled. "It's a good idea not to _trust me_ , I am a criminal after all. That boy is nothing more than a unique resource, but you can place your _trust in me_ that I never waste a resource." There was a really small difference between the two types of trust. A normal person might not get it until Roman explained it, but Adam was smart enough to know what Roman meant. Trusting Roman was not the same as trusting what the criminal would do when given something valuable.

"I want results over talk," Adam snapped. "I'm not going to keep sending my men if there is nothing to show for it. I don't want to take a personal interest, but I will if needed."

 _Definitely don't want another mutt breathing down my neck,_ Roman thought annoyed, but continued to display a neutral expression. _Time to give Neo the signal for the accident._

* * *

Touma Kamijou was leaning up against a building, watching the White Fang load crates of the energy source known as dust.

He was told to avoid contact with the dust crates at all costs because of his hand. How they knew dust would be negated, he didn't know, but figured they did not want to risk it due to its importance. Instead, he started going over everything that happened to him during the last twenty-four hours. He had cornered a magician, was thrown into another world with monsters called Grimm, and then encountered a small girl who was way stronger than he was. Aura was a new concept to him, but it reminded him a lot of strengthening abilities back home and it was negated the same way. Roman was an interesting person, but Touma felt like he was hiding quite a bit, or maybe it was because of the world they lived in. Constantly being attacked by Grimm would probably make a civilization a lot darker than back home. As much as he didn't want to admit it, the White Fang seemed to be very similar to the group he knew called Skill-Out. Both were organizations who claimed discrimination against them by another, stronger, group. Skill-Out had grown violent over the years and had even bombed buildings to prove a point. From what Roman had told him, the White Fang only resorted to violence if they were attacked. He didn't even try to excuse their stealing of dust though, since it was a necessity for life on Remnant.

 _Can I really judge people from a world I know nothing about?_ Touma thought. _It's kind of different from the worlds Othinus made, but there are some similarities._ His thoughts turned to Neo. Even if she couldn't talk, something Touma didn't feel was proper to ask about, she was smart, strong, and quite attractive, but she seemed to love to embarrass him for some reason. Roman may have been used to her antics, but he wasn't. She would show lewd messages to him, constantly grab onto him and press her well-developed body against him when others were around, and, last night, stole all his clothes while he was sleeping. He had been forced to ask a passing White Fang member for help. It was the first solo interaction with one of the members, since he had usually been with Neo or Roman. They didn't seem like bad people and the guy actually talked with him for a bit.

 _Roman was right,_ Touma thought. The conversation with the cat girl had still been on his mind. It wasn't just because she was very attractive or that one of Touma's friends would have killed to meet a real-life cat girl. Touma had believed the girl had been completely honest with him about Roman. Even if Touma had not seen those parts of him, she had completely believed that. Touma had promised to keep his eyes and ears open, which is why he really wanted to talk to one of the White Fang. The results had not been pleasant. _Some of his friends died in a mine owed by the Schnee Dust Company. Mining has always been a dangerous job, but he actually said the Schnee had been purposely using slave labor because people don't care about the abysmal working conditions of the Faunus. I can't see why he would lie to me, but that girl was so sure of herself. She was a captive and they do say captives will say anything to get free. Was I played?_ A crane started moving in his direction and he pushed off the wall to get out of the way.

Touma had been a little confused at the way things were being loaded. While it was true a single car could not hold everything, the way it was being loaded was strange. The containers were being spread through all the train cars periodically. _Thought they would fill up one car first and then move to the next one._ Neo had stopped by for a short time and he asked her. She informed him it was to make delivery easier and a counterstrategy against Grimm. When they stopped at a drop-off point, it made it simpler to unload one car with the previously measured supply of dust. If a Grimm latched onto the train in transit and could not be stopped, the cars could be detached to escape. This way, only some of the dust would be lost, instead of all of it. Neo disappeared shortly after that, leaving Touma alone with his thoughts.

He was also worried about how long he would be stuck here. Junior only started looking for Accelerator and Last Order yesterday and Touma had no idea how long it would take to locate them. He had been transported into the middle of a forest after all and there was no telling how far away those two were sent. He missed his friends and worried about Index, his resident freeloading nun. Shoot, he even missed Biri Biri trying to electrocute him. His day to day life may have been full of misfortune, but it had its good points too. For now, first priority was to find his friends. After that, they could work on finding a way home. The least Touma could do to pass the time was help out people against the Grimm. That was why he joined them in an underground base at a place they called Mt. Glenn. Touma watched the crane lift up a large container of dust and start rotating it closer to the train. Besides the driver, there were two other people, one was a female with antlers, and the other was the guy who helped Touma with his clothes that morning. A movement above him caught his attention and he looked up.

One of the cables snapped.

"Look out!" Touma yelled to the two Faunus near the crane. They turned toward him, unaware of the danger. The crate lost balance and tipped to the side. Several boxes loaded in it crashed into the end, drawing their attention. The side flap's lock burst open and the boxes began to fall out. Crates of dust, something Touma knew a bit about. Roman had warned him repeatedly how volatile dust was. Dropping a crystal, shaking a vile, or a sudden impact could cause it to go off. As a demonstration, Roman had showed him his cane. By using a fire dust crystal, he could fire an explosion capable of destroying a large bolder. The two near the crane would not be able to escape that much dust if it went off. Touma's body had already started to move before his brain finished recognizing the situations. He pushed through the White Fang members and stuck his hand out, right when the crates smashed into the ground. The box just broke when Touma realized something. _Can I even negate a dust explosion?_

The multicolor explosion engulfed them.

Panicked shouts echoed, as the boom bounced across the underground city. The explosion had lit up the entire area as smoke, flames, ice, and wind fired off in every direction. Several dozen members converged on the location to perform damage control. Accidents like that were bound to happen when constantly transporting volatile materials. The good news was the dust went off far enough away from the train tracks to avoid damage there. The area around ground zero was in disarray. The stone ground on one side was charred black, while the other side had spikes of ice jettisoning out. The crane had been knocked over with a combination of wind and flames. The operator managed to crawl out and was lucky to sport only a broken wrist. As everyone began to approach slowly, to avoid any delayed dust explosions, they stopped when the smoke cleared.

Touma and the two Faunus were unharmed.

In fact, the ground starting at Touma's outstretched hand was perfectly fine. It was like he had erected a wall that covered him and everyone behind him. The two members had fallen backwards out of shock, but they were fine, though the areas to their right and left were far from it. The onlookers could only stare, as Touma lowered his hand and sighed. He turned to the two and held out his hands to help them up. "That was close. I wasn't sure it would work against dust. Are you two okay?"

"Yeah," the guy said, as he accepted the help up. The girl only nodded, but imitated his action.

"What the hell happened?!" Roman's voice boomed out from above them. Someone yelled the situation back to him. "Replace that crane, and be more careful. That dust is valuable! If you don't snap to it, I'm sending Neo down there and she's not nearly as nice as I am!" Several people gulped and started to quickly clear up the mess. Touma and the two caught in the explosion were directed to wait in a building being used as a medical bay until further notice. The crane driver had been carried there already. As they walked there, Touma heard a lot of whispering and saw fingers being pointed at him. He sighed and the male Faunus looked over at him.

"You surprised them," he told Touma.

"Huh?"

"Not only with your power to shield us, but the fact you, a human, protected us, Faunus."

"I don't really understand," Touma replied. "What's the big deal about having an animal part? Sure, there aren't any Faunus where I come from, but you guys are just like everyone else I know."

"Tell that to all those humans who won't even serve us," the guy spat out. The girl tilted her head at Touma curiously. "Oh, names Perry by the way and this is Rita. Thanks again for saving us."

"No problem," Touma replied dismissively. "I only did what was right. Name's Touma Kamijou. Roman only gave out my last name."

"You are a strange person," Rita spoke up. Touma and Perry turned to her.

"Why do you say that?" Touma asked.

"A human willing to work with Faunus is rare," she answered. "Though, not unheard of. Most are merely indifferent. They don't actively discriminate against us, but they don't help us against those who do. You actually went out of you way to save us. Take that explosion, the normal reaction would be to run _away_ from the explosion."

"My friends back home tell me I'm strange in that regard," Touma chuckled. "I tend to get involved in other people's business." Perry and Rita looked at each other. "But if they need help and I can do something about it, I will."

"What's in it for you?" Perry asked.

"Why do I need a reason to help someone?"

"See," Rita said, as if explaining the obvious to Perry. "He is strange."

"If more humans were like you," Perry murmured. "Maybe the White Fang wouldn't exist."

"I kept hoping Roman was only exaggerating about the way you guys are treated," Touma muttered. "But I keep hearing all these stories and it seems more than just a few isolated incidents." He looked out a window at the other White Fang members working on clearing the ice away. "It reminds me of a group back home, sadly." Rita frowned.

"I'm not sure what kind of deal you and Roman have worked out between you two," she told him. "But if it makes you feel any better, you're one of the first humans I actually like." Touma blinked and turned to her. Perry snickered.

"Making a move on a human?" he asked, trying to hold back the laughter.

"Shut up!" Rita punched Perry in the arm and Touma couldn't help laughing. "I'm saying he proved that he isn't a racist and actually cares about our situation."

"I doubt any girl would actually like someone as misfortunate as me," Touma pointed out to Perry. "I'm really poor and unlucky."

"There are ways to make money if you know what you are doing," Perry replied with a shrug. "Besides, I thought Roman's companion, Neo, was with you. Aren't you two together?"

"What!? No!" Touma shook his head vigorously. "I only met her yesterday and she introduced me to Roman. He's helping me find some people and I asked if I could help him with anything to repay him. After he told me about the relationship between Faunus and humans, I wanted to help out. I'm not really a fan of thieving, but it's for a good cause." _The Grimm are a threat to everyone._ Perry and Rita shared a surprise look under their masks.

 _He's upset about us stealing compared to killing and blowing up buildings?_ Neither decided to mention that. Not that they could, since they had been warned about saying anything remotely close to that near Touma.

"So why does Neo cling to you so much?" Perry inquired.

"I think she likes to embarrass me," Touma regretfully informed him. "Not sure why, but it's just like a couple girls back home. They like to tease me a lot." He sighed and looked out the window again. Perry's mouth fell open. He glanced over at Rita and gestured incredulously at Touma. Rita held her hand over her mouth and tried not to laugh.

"What do you think of Neo then?" Perry prodded. Most of the White Fang had been wondering what her relationship was with Touma, yet no one had the balls to ask her directly. Roman would just say it's not their business and Neo might kill them for prying. While Neo had taken random people off the streets before to satisfy urges, she never really displayed something that resembled affection in front of the White Fang during work.

"Umm," Touma murmured for a moment. "Not going to lie, she is pretty cute, but there's something about her that scares me a little. She's also really tough, far more than I am, so there's not much I can really do to stop her from embarrassing me. I do owe her a lot though, because she found me when I was lost." Perry raised an eyebrow under his mask. Unknown to the three of them, the girl in question was listening at the door.

 _I am pretty cute,_ Neo agreed. _Cute and deadly, the perfect combination._ She appreciated the comments and felt herself blush at the praise. She had followed the three of them because Roman made it clear anyone who gave Touma information that would cause doubt in his mind, was to be eliminated. _Seems like I was worried for nothing._ Perry and Rita only reinforced Touma's belief the Faunus were being discriminated against and they had been smart enough not to talk about the White Fang's other activities. Once they had digressed into random conversation, Neo made her way back to the rest of the White Fang, who were finishing loading the train. She pulled the sword out of her umbrella. Animals need to be reminded who the bosses were once in a while.

* * *

The dust explosion was felt by Roman and Adam, long before they saw the smoke.

"Damn it, Roman!" Adam snarled. "What the hell was that?"

"You going to blame this on me too?" Roman asked incredulously. "I've been standing next to you the entire time." His eyes scanned the loading area below him. "Damn it, some idiot dropped a crate of dust!"

"You!" Adam called out and pointed to a group of the White Fang members who had taken cover. "Go find out the extent of the damage!" They nodded and slowly approach the site of the explosion. Adam looked like he was about to go down there personally, but Roman held out a hand.

"Now you see what I have to work with," Roman told him. "It's a wonder I was able to steal over ninety percent of all the dust in Vale when your men cause these kinds of accidents."

"You blaming this on us?!" Adam thundered.

"Listen," Roman explained patiently. "I ordered all equipment examined before use because we can't afford accidents, _like this one_. That crane is probably inoperable now, so it's going to put us behind schedule."

"How do I know this isn't your fault?" Adam demanded.

"Because I like money?" Roman asked incredulously. "And living? You know what Cinder would do to me if she found out I was purposely sabotaging her plans. I rather not have my face melted." Adam was silent at that. Both of them knew how dangerous Cinder was. "The simple fact is, your men are not specialists. They are ordinary Faunus who escaped from the oppression of humans. They can learn, but they haven't received a lot of formal training. This is why operations take longer. If they follow my orders, we succeed. If they don't, we get interrupted by brats and things are delayed. You being here isn't going to change much. In terms of combat potential, Neo is more than enough to handle anything we encounter."

"It sounds like you want me to leave," Adam pointed out.

"I think your skills will be more beneficial somewhere else," Roman corrected him. "You specialize in combat, not thievery. Besides, you being here is causing your mutts to divide attention between leadership. In short, you're distracting. Leave, and let me do what I'm being paid to do."

"If I find out you double-crossed us in any way," Adam warned, as he turned and walked away. "Your midget won't be able to protect you. I'll keep my Lieutenant to help you against those kids, because you obviously can't handle it alone." He hopped over the side of the building and skated down the wall, before landing perfectly fine on the ground.

 _I really hate dealing with animals,_ Roman thought irritated. _And that one actually has claws. If Cinder didn't have me by the balls, I would kill that damn bull._ He watched the smoke clear, to reveal Touma and two White Fang members unharmed. Touma helped the two up and Roman decided it was now time to act. "What the hell happened?!" He waited while someone told him what he knew already. "Replace that crane, and be more careful. That dust is valuable! If you don't snap to it, I'm sending Neo down there and she's not nearly as nice as I am!" A simple threat was more than enough to make those animals work and Roman could relax a bit. Touma and the two Faunus traveled to get checked up and Roman shook his head. It was important the boy was okay, but he couldn't care less about the other two. The only reason he was glad they survived was because it solidified the boy in his operation.

The White Fang would trust the boy, and by extension, the man he works for.

They might not trust him as much as Touma, but it would be enough to get things done. Time passed slowly, and then he finally felt a tap on his back. He turned around and saw Neo smirking at him. "Nice job. I was watching the scene of the accident and I never saw you."

 _I'm just that good,_ Neo mimed.

"I managed to get rid of Adam," Roman told her. "He won't stick around. How's the boy?"

 _Undamaged, though we knew he would be. His reaction time is impressive for someone without an Aura. More good news. A couple of the White Fang members are opening up to him and are unknowingly solidifying your story._

"Perfect," Roman said with a smirk. "Shame, though. Once Cinder learns about him, he's probably going to get taken away."

 _Over my dead body._ Neo cross her arms defiantly.

"Tell that to her."

Neo only shivered.

* * *

Qrow rubbed his chin and leaned back in his chair. Something caught his eye on the far side of the bar's corner table he was sitting in. A woman with long black hair and red eyes walked into the bar and proceeded upstairs, but she had definitely glanced over at him. Qrow gulped down the rest of his drink and stared at the three men surrounding him. He picked up his cards and stared at them. The pot was getting big and he either had to raise or call.

"Raise, fifty."

"Max bet? Bold move. I'll call."

"Fold."

"Fold."

"Three of a kind, aces," the man across from Qrow said.

"Full house," Qrow replied, bored, as he tossed his cards onto the table. The other guy groaned, and Qrow swept up the pot. After pocketing it, he stood up to leave.

"Leaving already?" one of the other guys asked. "Give us a chance to win some of our money back."

"No can do," Qrow replied with a short laugh. "Saw a pretty girl going upstairs alone. I bet she needs some company."

"Classic Qrow," the three other men chuckled. Qrow laughed again and tossed a few Lien onto the table for them to buy themselves a round of drinks, before heading upstairs. He saw one private room door cracked open and he entered. The woman sat in a chair, staring at him, with a large white and red Grimm like mask on the table. She was wearing a shallow cut black dress, five necklaces with an assortment of beads, a red girdle-belt, and a pair of matching gauntlets. She also wore detached black leggings, with a red splatter pattern, and black leather boots beneath them. Her face was oddly similar to Yang's.

"Hello," she said when the door shut behind him. "Brother."

"Raven," Qrow replied curtly and sat down. They stared at each other for a moment in silence. "What do you want?" he finally asked.

"A girl can't visit her family?" Raven asked innocently.

"She can," Qrow acknowledged. "But you're not. Let's just get on with it." Raven's eyes narrowed.

"I know you have been investigating that green light that appeared in the sky," she stated.

"Oh, do you?" Qrow raised an eyebrow.

"I took an interest in it too," Raven continued, as if she had not been interrupted. "I heard a few people mention they had contacted you. However, there is a problem they don't know about that requires our immediate attention."

"You want us to cooperate?" Qrow asked. "Why? I know you, Raven. You won't come for my help unless you need information or you don't want to risk your own life."

"We both want to protect Remnant," Raven replied, determinedly keeping her voice calm. "We simply have different views on how."

"That is the understatement of the century." Qrow leaned forward. "I hadn't been planning to investigate, I was only told about it. Ozpin seems interested in it though, so that is the only reason I'm in this town."

"Ozpin actually realizes a threat when he sees it," Raven stated bemused and then dropped the important piece of information. "A man emerged from that light."

"Really?"

"I was monitoring him for a while," Raven continued. "He didn't have an unlocked Aura, but there was something about him. A feeling, not dread like with Grimm, but it made me uneasy." She frowned. "He can control water. I watched him touch a river and saw a ripple travel up and down stream."

"He must have been the one who killed those Grimm," Qrow mused. "So what? The only interesting thing is that you said his Aura wasn't unlocked."

"It wasn't!"

"I don't doubt you," Qrow replied. "You are way too skilled to misread that. The thing is, weird shit happens. It wouldn't be the strangest thing I've seen."

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"That's my secret and you don't need to know about it, especially if you aren't sharing your own unrelated information with me."

"Our survival is important," Raven countered. "You were part of our tribe until you betrayed us."

"This again," sighed Qrow. "They were killers and thieves."

"They were your _family_."

"You have a very screwed perception of that word."

"I lead our people now," Raven stated and stood up. "As the leader, I will do everything in my power to ensure our survival, which is why I am here talking to you. The weak die and the strong survive. Those are the rules, but that man who entered from the light is a threat to all of us."

"Controlling water and ice is a useful power," Qrow agreed. "But how is he a threat?"

"Because," Raven answered and leaned forward on the table to stare at him directly in the eyes. "His skill with water doesn't end at combat." Qrow raised an eyebrow. "He didn't kill all the Grimm he encountered."

"Did he capture them for experimentation or something?" Qrow asked. "He wouldn't be the first."

"Worse."

"Worse?"

"He found a way to control them." Qrow sat in stunned silence before finally replying.

"Explain."

"He forced water into an Alpha Beowolf's ears," Raven said and her face grew dark. "The eyes then changed to blue and he ordered it to kneel. The Alpha followed his command and then the order to attack another Beowolf trapped in ice."

"That's… impressive, but unnerving."

"He didn't stop there. He's slaughtering the young, but taking over the older ones. Last I checked, he had around twenty Grimm and counting. I want your help to subdue him."

"Subdue?" Qrow asked interestedly. "Not kill? That's unlike you, sister, unless you want to recruit him. If that's the case, why should I help?"

"What do you think will happen if he continues this course of action?" Raven asked. "A man with an army of Grimm? Do you think Salem will ignore him?" Qrow frowned. "If I can use him, I will, if not, I will kill him. It will be better than the alternative."

"What if I can persuade him to join Ozpin's side?" Qrow asked.

"I can offer more than you," Raven answered confidently. "I still want you to come back and join us. Your skills are invaluable. Salem's army is growing and preparing to strike. Beacon will fall, Ozpin will fail, and the relic will fall into her hands."

"We won't let that happen."

"Then help me stop this man," Raven said to him.

"Fine," Qrow agreed. "Only because Ozpin would want me to. Do you know where he is now?"

"I know the area he was in," Raven admitted. "But he moves fast. It may take a little bit to track him down."

"Let's go then," Qrow said and stood up. "Just like old times?"

"Don't get too comfortable," Raven muttered and drew her sword. A large red portal appeared in the wall and they stepped through.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **Current Ship Names:**

 **Yang and Touma: Fistbump / Golden Dragon / Imagine Dragon**

 **Weiss and Touma: Prince and Princess**

 **Ruby and Touma: Blossoming / Thorny Rose**

 **Blake and Touma: Nine Lives / Bad Luck**

 **Velvet and Touma: Bunny Couple**

 **Ren and Touma: Lotus Fist**

 **Jaune and Touma: Better Luck Next Time**

 **Glynda and Touma: Teacher's Pet**

 **Emerald and Touma: Shattered Illusions / Illusion Breaker**

 **Twins and Touma: Triple Threat**

 **Cinder and Touma: Through the Fire and Flame / Fire Demons**

 **Salem and Touma: Burning Witch / Grimm Fist / Shattering Darkness**

 **Accelerator and Weiss: Cold and Calculating / Ice Vector**

 **Accelerator and Yang: Road Rage / Short Fuse / Way of the Dragon**

 **Accelerator and Ruby: One-Way Rose / No Brakes**

 **Accelerator and Blake: Twilight Arrow / Chain and Sickly**

 **Accelerator and Nora: Shattered Bones / Broken Dreams**

 **Accelerator and Velvet: White Flash**


	10. Problem Children

**Chapter 10, a nice checkpoint for a new story. Been pretty busy lately, but when you enjoy something, you always seem to find time to do it. Writing this story has been a blast and nothing major has happened so far. Some may not like the pace, but you can't please everyone. Accelerator is settling into his new spot in Remnant. He's going to have to learn how to deal with a bunch of people who stick their noses into everything. Some of you noticed he is the NT Accelerator, so he's mellowed out a little, unless you a real threat to Last Order than you can kiss your arm goodbye. While I was writing this, I accidently stumbled against a possible ship that I had way too much fun with. It makes me question everything I had planned. Enough rambling here I guess, we all know you don't want to read this. Let's get through the comments and then to the actual story.**

 **HikariNiwa: I'm waiting for the perfect one. There were a couple okay ones, but they didn't have the music and light show accompanying them.**

 **SilentXD7: If Touma does unleash it, it's only against a boss mob.**

 **TykkiMikk: No ship is set in stone. Sometimes chapters reveal how other ships are superior.**

 **Guest: 1) Nope, because Guest is a generic anonymous name I can't track who they specifically belong to. 2) After thinking about it, Cerberus kind of fits and I don't have a lot of names for them. Noble Warriors to be is way too generic that could apply to make pairings. 3) Someone had a good name and just because there is a ship name, doesn't mean it will ever happen. (It won't.) I added your name for Weiss x Touma and Salem x Touma. The rest I just wasn't fling. Mirrors I think I want to put that with Weiss. 4) I'll let you use your imagination.**

 **Kuvukiland: Touma is always the main character, let's switch it all up. Accelerator is on the good side and Touma can help on the bad. There will definitely be a fight of some kind eventually. It will be obvious when it occurs.**

 **shiroryuu012: I feel Neo has a good shot. She won't be afraid to show what she wants. Then she will also remove obstacles.**

 **dickythamrin077: Yeah, I have two stories going and I don't have several chapters done ahead of time. I alternate between them. When Cardin loses his legs, it will be a glorious scene. Hmm, Touma's Punch seems to be able to heal even the most twisted minds. He would have to stop Adam from not living his life correctly, but I think he could. Shoot, it might make Blake fall for him if he can save Adam. I named a couple Faunus so I can use them repeatedly for things without saying a male/female Faunus all the time.**

 **WiliamZ0: That magician isn't a big part right now, but I want to show he is doing something. Of course, it will end with something bad and his background will be revealed. Accelerator just pretends to ignore Last Order, her face is always a critical hit. The pairing names are just what I personally like and try to limit it to three at the most. Others may like different ones, but then they can go right their own stories, haha. It was actually mentioned in NT he could have done that and won, but he chose not to because he and Touma are BFFs. He denies it, but we know. The Will only exists because all the consciousness are connected. Different world means no Network because only one mind exists. Wounds fade, scars don't. It's hard to balance Accelerator, but I'm hoping this chapter works out with him. Huh, if Touma punched Weiss's dad, that would probably be a flag. Why would we tell Atlas? Ironwood is a jerk. RWBY season 3 is a lie. They pretend it's a happy exciting time, and then stuff. Damn that stuff. Continue: 1)It would probably lash out if Touma got to close. 2) His hand actually has to touch dust to negate it, so nothing big there. Machines are his weakness. 3) If it is fused with dust, yeah, so Jaune needs to watch his sword. 4) Dust crystal/powder he touches disappears. No explosion or anything.**

 **The Rupture: He has access to the White Wings, but he was healed and his power is a little off. Will have to wait and see if he can manage that. Touma's pets will only come out if he loses his hand. Maybe Adam can help with that. His magic name will eventually be released, when the time is right. Myths and Legends exists in Remnant, so new magic could be developed, but the ones form their world will still exist. If they use the mana from their body, there shouldn't be any issues. If they try using leylines, stuff from the earth, things might get tricky.**

 **LL: I think Touma's friends would be more upset he knows a REAL catgirl. A lot of people want Touma to redeem Adam. I never actually thought about that until everyone started saying it. I'll think about it and see how the story progresses. Broken legs are a sacred event and must be set up better. I actually have plans for that magician and it involves Salem. That's all the foreshadowing you get.**

 **Qc-Dragon-Slayer-Qc: noted**

 **Guest: Sorry you feel that way. I'm trying to find the balance between NT Accelerator and everyone from Remnant. I'm used to writing the OT one. If Cardin was a serious threat to Last Order, he wouldn't be in one piece. Poor mass murderer Salome. He doesn't really attack people much since then unless they are a real threat.**

 **Dark 7 Thunder: Touma can really be paired with anyone, but Blake and Neo are popular. Yang and Accelerator remind me a lot of him and Worst. Teasing will occur constantly.**

 **SpiderhunterXXX: Not sure, harem antics, misfortune, some explosions, food and then maybe rescued. Save Adam maybe? That seems like a popular idea.**

 **Croniklerx: Your comments seem to be getting longer. Combat scenes are one thing, but you can always seem to do more with the more passive scenes. I hate proofreading my own work because I know what happens and there is no surprise. I do know it's something that has to be done. I'm trying to show the mellowed Accelerator from NT along with the fact Last Order won't want him to hurt her new friends. It's a weird balance. The dust container scene was taken from the Railgun anime. Figured it would be a nice nostalgia event. The Misaka speech patterns can go into more detail, but that was just a rough summary. Princess and the Pauper was mentioned by a couple people, so I decided to add it. I figured if I can have fun, why not share it with the readers using ship names. I enjoyed your Dragonforce explanation. I liked a bunch of your ship names though and added quite a few. Innocent Pleasures for Neo and Touma is close to what I am looking for, but part of me feels there is that one perfect name out there I must find.**

 **Salishious: Silver Angels kind of fits, but I don't feel it stands out a ton. Water mage probably won't meet Roman where he is going. Touma is from NT, not mine, so no roar. HAHAHA, Yang's Nightmare! That was great and it's been added with a small change due to this chapter.**

 **Guest: He might, yeah, or at least try to get both sides to reconcile somehow. He definitely would against Roman if he saw him as a criminal before meeting him, even if he would try to talk some sense into him after they encounter each other.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: It depends who's talking. Qrow and Raven know Salem but not Cinder. Roman knows Cinder but not Salem.**

 **Molten Thunder: That is soooo close, but I'm still hesitant.**

 **Formboy1: Only Yang laughed.**

 **CompuBob: Touma had the ability to be shipped with anyone, like Jaune.**

 **FireDusk: I feel Playboy is better for a Jaune x Velvet ship. Though Promise Lands is good.**

 **Dead Salvation: At some point, he will brag about it to her.**

 **Kisshot: The Neo X Touma one made me laugh. First one to do so.**

 **Kiri Kaitou Clover: Some people wanted a bigger beat down. Jaune is the protector of all people. People are interested in a redeemable Adam, so it's possible. Shattered Mirrors seems to be a popular name.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

"Seriously?" Accelerator asked, though he wasn't really surprised. "The fucking hero really is here?" Ozpin had mentioned it was a possibility, but now he had proof.

"Language!" Ruby admonished again. Team RWBY, JNPR, Accelerator, and Last Order were talking while waiting for the next Bullhead from Beacon to Vale. Their training ended early due to Accelerator's arrival and Glynda's admonishment. It turned out Accelerator was given some Lien to buy some spare clothes for himself and Last Order, so the trip was needed. Ozpin had been on top of everything for those two from another world. Unable to resist a shopping trip, Yang jumped at the opportunity to join. The others came along, due to her or Last Order's insistence. Accelerator was obviously annoyed, but Last Order asked him to be nice, so he held his tongue. To Ruby's dismay, Weiss reminded the others they still needed to get her heels. Once that argument subsided, their talk had turned to more serious matters.

"So you do know him?" Blake asked with a raise eyebrow. "Last Order mentioned she did, but I was not sure about your relationship with him." Her amber eyes focused on him, as she lowered her book.

"I've fought him a couple times and we were chasing the same guy who tried to kidnap the brat," Accelerator replied and jabbed a thumb at Last Order.

"He's really strong, MISAKA adds."

"Is he as strong as you?" Yang asked.

"No." The way Accelerator said that one word caused Yang's eyebrow to rise and her lips twitched upwards.

 _There's a story there,_ Yang thought. _And I'm going to uncover it._

"He's currently being manipulated by Roman Torchwick," Jaune explained to Accelerator, who raised an eyebrow. "…Oh, right. Torchwick's a criminal who controls most of the crime syndicates in Vale."

"We were discussing what to do about it too," Pyrrha pipped up. "It's one thing for Torchwick to have something that can keep Grimm away, but it's another for him to manipulate an innocent person, especially someone who saved our friend."

"We don't have to do anything," Accelerator told them.

"What?!" Ruby exclaimed. "Are you suggesting we just leave him to be used by Torchwick? I fought him once before. He's perfectly okay with killing people who stand in his way. With someone like Touma shielding him from Grimm, he's going to have free reign."

"Even though I feel this is something we have limited access too," Weiss said seriously. "Ruby has a point."

"Aww," Ruby cooed and gave Weiss a hug. "See, I come up with good ideas."

"Get off!" Weiss snapped and pushed her away. "I was referring to Torchwick having a way to avoid Grimm. His movements within the city are already hard enough for the authorities to track. If he can move outside the wall with impunity, it will be impossible."

"And that's why we should go and take care of it ourselves!" Nora declared. "We know what Torchwick has at his disposal, so we won't be caught off guard. We track him down, break his legs with extreme prejudice, and drag this Touma guy with us by force if need be."

"While I enjoy your phrasing," Accelerator said with a smirk at the thought of violence. "You misunderstand me. I'm not going to do anything, because I don't have to do anything."

"What kind of logic is that?" Blake demanded.

"Someone's a little uptight," Yang laughed. "But she has a point. That's cold, man."

"Isn't he your friend?" Jaune asked.

"Eh," Accelerator said with a shrug. He was not admitting to anything.

"He's just shy, MISAKA explains as MISAKA attempts to translate. He's not used to talking to so many people."

"Shut it, brat."

"MISAKA knows you care, regardless of your harsh words, MISAKA replies happily, as MISAKA grabs your arm." Accelerator made no move to stop her or scrap her off. Yang secretly took a picture with her scroll.

"Perhaps you could explain why you do not want to help him," Ren suggested, before any more arguing could occur.

"That damn hero can take care of himself," Accelerator replied. Ren was one of the two most subdued members of that group, so he was easier to talk to than the others. _Seriously, how could they be so damn happy all the time?_ "Me being there would be pointless. This isn't the first time it's happened."

"This isn't the first time it's happened?" Ruby repeated, stunned. "Is he actually a criminal from your world?"

"I know," Nora interrupted. "I bet he's a secret agent who infiltrates enemy organizations to take them down from the inside. This mission will end with the White Fang in shambles, Torchwick arrested, and Touma ends up with the formally evil sexy female." Nora fist pumped. "Torchwick's time is numbered." Ren face palmed.

"Who's the formally evil sexy female?" Pyrrha couldn't resist asking.

"Neo," Blake responded. "The multicolor girl who works for him. She's the only one."

"Does she always live in her own little world?" Accelerator asked Jaune in disbelief while pointing to Nora.

"It's best not to think about it too hard," Jaune answered. "Or you will only hurt yourself."

"This is getting us nowhere," Weiss sighed and grabbed the bridge of her nose. "Accelerator, can you please explain to us why you think he can take care of himself?" If she let this nonsense continue, Nora, Yang, and Ruby would go off on a tangent and never return.

"He's incredibly gullible," Accelerator explained with a heavy sigh. It was obvious he didn't want to talk about Touma. "Give him some sob story about someone being hurt or threatened and he will lap it up. This Torchwick guy of yours probably realized this. You said his power repels those Grimm creatures, so I can see why he would."

"That still doesn't explain why he doesn't need help," Weiss said impatiently.

"I'm getting to it, Princess!" Accelerator snapped irritated.

"Chill out," Yang added. "There's no need to be so _Weiss_ cold right now." The silence and stares of disbelief followed. "What?" Last Order giggled and Yang beamed at her.

"Brat," Accelerator said coldly. "What have I said about laughing at bad jokes?"

"Don't, because it only encourages idiots to make more? MISAKA asks, even though MISAKA knows the words by heart."

"And what did you do?"

"Laugh at a funny joke, MISAKA replies as MISAKA enjoys Yang's jokes." Weiss and Accelerator face palmed, while Ruby looked dumbstruck. Everyone else shared confused glances. Yang's jokes were terrible, but someone, somewhere, had to have a weird sense of humor to laugh at them. Who would have thought that person would be from another world? Actually, Ruby believed that. She figured no one on Remnant would laugh.

"We need to teach you that Yang is not funny," Weiss groaned.

"I agree," Accelerator said. For a brief moment, they made eye contact in solidarity against the true evil.

"Critics." Yang rolled her eyes. "I'm hilarious."

"Can we let Accelerator finish?" Blake asked. "I'm curious at what he can tell us about Touma Kamijou."

"Because she likes him," Nora whispered to Ren excitedly. "It's happening."

"What's happening?" Ren asked in a monotone.

"It is!"

"It's not the first time the hero went and got tricked into helping some terrorist organization," Accelerator continued with a yawn. Everyone was now paying close attention. "He eventually realizes what's happening and fights to stop them. Once he fixes his mistake, he'll come back and complain about his luck." Last Order giggled. "So there is no reason for me to help. It will work itself out and he will show up at some point."

"You're placing a lot of trust in him," Jaune pointed out.

"Based on past experiences," Accelerator refuted. Not that he really cared what Touma did. They were two completely different people and he knew Touma wouldn't lose easily.

"But he's in an unfamiliar world," Ruby protested. "Torchwick is really dangerous and he might need help!" Accelerator ignored her. "Weiss, Blake, you two agree with me, right? Yang would only agree so she could go and beat someone up."

"Hey…! No, she's right. I would."

"He knows him better than we do," Weiss answered slowly. "If he's confident that guy can take care of himself…"

"I can't believe what I'm hearing," Blake snapped. "Touma saved my life and we are just going to leave him to the mercy of Torchwick? Who knows how much his operations will expand if he doesn't have to worry about Grimm? Yet you want to do nothing?"

"I never said that," Weiss replied defiantly. "You barely know Mr. Kamijou and only have a vague idea what he has done or is capable of doing. He rescued you, so he obviously could tell something was wrong, but there's one main reason I'm not jumping up and down in anticipation. We have no idea where they are _now_!" Blake blinked, but her fierce expression remained the same.

"We could investigate," Blake pointed out. "If we spy on White Fang activities, it could tell us where they are."

"Blake," Yang whispered and put her arm around her partner. "We've been through this. You can't do everything. I know you want to help him, but this isn't the way to go about it." Blake glared at her, before reluctantly nodding. Yang grinned. "Now, I never said we couldn't do a little investigation, but let's not let it consume our lives." She turned to Weiss. "That cool?"

"That is acceptable," Weiss agreed. "I don't want him to remain in Torchwick's employment either."

"Then it's settled," Ruby declared in her leader voice. This was really kind of adorable from the little girl. "We will keep our eyes open on possible activities that could lead us to locating them. But, for now, we need to help Accelerator and Last Order get settled in. Agreed?" The other three nodded. While Team RWBY was discussing their response to the news, Team JNPR was also debating.

"This just gets more and more complicated," Jaune sighed. "Doesn't it?" Pyrrha put her hand on his shoulder.

"Whatever you choose," she told him. "I'll be right beside you." Pyrrha gave him a small smile. "I'm pretty sure I know what you want to do."

"I vote for finding Torchwick and breaking his legs," Nora said. "There has to be some way, right?" She turned to Ren. "Ren, find him."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Ren asked.

"Can't you... like meditate… or something?" Nora asked. "And receive some kind of vision?" Ren sighed.

"Nora," he said calmly. "Meditation doesn't work like that. It allows one to find their own center, not spy on others."

"Boring," Nora muttered.

"What about you, Ren?" Jaune asked. "Torchwick is dangerous and I don't want to commit anyone without them deciding on their own."

"Nora already decided we are going," Ren answered and the corners of his mouth twitched.

"When did she…?"

"If she's going," Ren said. "I am too."

"We are a packaged deal," Nora added.

"Okay," Jaune said and turned to Ruby. "We are in, once we decide how to proceed. Snow Angel is right about us needing some kind of clue on where to start."

"Stop calling me that, Arc!" Weiss snapped angrily.

"Heh," Accelerator snickered. That caused Yang to look at him and smirk too.

"We should discuss that tonight then," Ruby said to Jaune. "I don't think we will get anywhere today. Accelerator and Last Order have to grab essentials and we have class tomorrow, so no stake outs."

"We could always skip class," Yang suggested.

"No!" Weiss refuted loudly. "Your grades are already border line in everything outside combat class. You can't afford it."

"MISAKA wants to see what your classes are like too! MISAKA cries out as MISAKA jumps up and down in excitement."

"There's another reason too," Weiss added and turned to Last Order. "We promised you could, and I plan to keep that."

"Yay! MISAKA cheers."

"I think we should agree that if anyone of us discovers anything," Pyrrha suggested. "We should notify the others before acting alone." Yang, Ruby, and Weiss might have thought she was talking about Blake, but her eyes moved for an instant onto Nora. Nora was known to be impulsive.

"Unless it's an emergency," Blake amended. "Where there is no time, like if someone is about to get killed."

"Then we can fight them?" Nora asked and Blake nodded.

"Fine," Weiss agreed. "But _only_ in an emergency." She glared at Blake.

"Now that the serious stuff is settled," Yang declared, determined to change the dark atmosphere to something lighter. "It's time for the real issue." She grabbed Ruby and Pyrrha simultaneously. "Ruby has been avoiding the topic for too long. She needs a pair of heels for formal occasions, including the dance coming up. P-money, you know I love you, but you could use some more casual clothes. You can't wear your uniform and armor all the time. Plus, the ones you have are way too conservative. You have the body, flaunt it a little."

"Can't we do something else?" Ruby complained and tried to escape, but Yang held on firmly. "Humph, fine." She pouted and nearly everyone laughed.

"I don't think I'm going to be comfortable wearing something like that," Pyrrha said to Yang.

"Nonsense." Yang dismissed her worries. "Weiss and I will help you find something great." She bent over and whispered into Pyrrha's ear. "Don't you want something to impress a certain blonde boy?" Pyrrha flushed and Yang knew she was victorious.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to look," Pyrrha relented.

"Yang needs to learn not to volunteer me," Weiss sighed. "But in this case, I would be glad to help."

"I'll make sure they don't go overboard," Blake volunteered.

"I want to come!" Nora cried. "The guys can go and do whatever."

 _Huh,_ Ren thought. _That might not be too bad. I need to pick up a few things anyways. Running low on ingredients for my shakes, plus I have to make one for Jaune. I know Yang won't forget that bet._

"Can MISAKA come too? MISAKA askes uncertainly as MISAKA continues to look between everyone."

"Of course," Ruby answered immediately. "Us girls have to stick together."

"I think you should probably ask her guardian, Rubes," Jaune suggested.

"He's right," Yang agreed and saw a perfect opportunity to mess with Accelerator. "So, Vomit Boy, can your younger sister come shopping with us?" Jaune blinked and then his brain clicked about the lie they had been using.

"Wha… dang it, Yang!" Jaune replied, while she laughed. Accelerator glared at her.

"Just messing with you two," Yang teased and threw her arm over Accelerator's shoulders. She made sure to press her chest against his shoulder. He had to get embarrassed somehow, and Yang was going to find out what triggered it. "So, Grumpy, you mind if Last Order comes shopping with us? You, Jaune, and Ren could do whatever, maybe visit a strip club." If anyone had been drinking, they would have done a spit take.

"Yang!" came half a dozen voices.

"Pssh." Accelerator made a noncommittal noise. Jaune was the only one who recognized the look on his face and the internal struggle it represented. As the only brother of seven sisters, it was a struggle he was intimately familiar with, the age old battle of guys not wanting to go shopping with girls. It was not a fun experience for them, unless their girlfriend was trying on certain kinds of outfits. The struggle Accelerator was facing was between not wanting to try to find clothes for last Order and the desire to not leave her with a bunch of girls he barely knew. Normally, Accelerator would have never considered it, being he trusted very few people, but they did locate and protect Last Order, so it was at least worth considering. He found most of them annoying, especially Yang. Weiss was a typical rich girl and he knew how to aggravate them if she got too annoying. The others were all about the same level, except Nora who seemed to have a bloodthirsty streak he could appreciate.

"Please?" Ruby begged and tried to use her puppy dog eyes on Accelerator. Accelerator stared back at her for a few moments and then raised an eyebrow.

"Is that the best you got?" he asked.

"Huh?" Ruby asked confused.

"I deal with her trying that look on me five times a day," Accelerator explained and pointed to Last Order. "You're not nearly as good and I can ignore her." Ruby's mouth fell open.

"Told you," Yang and Jaune said simultaneously.

"Let MISAKA show you how a master does it, MISAKA says superiorly as MISAKA pats your shoulder." Ruby stepped out of the way, in shock more than anything else. "Can MISAKA go shopping with her new friends? MISAKA asks pleadingly." Her expression grew sad and manipulative. Accelerator stared at her for a moment. It only took about twenty seconds, but he finally gave a noncommittal jerk of his head.

"Do what you want."

"MISAKA is the undisputed master, MISAKA whispers as MISAKA flashes the victory sign." She held up two fingers in a V-shape to Ruby.

"I'll surpass you one day," Ruby whispered back. Last Order giggled and smiled back at her.

"But if you lot let anything happen to her," Accelerator continued. "I'm coming for you." Jaune felt a shiver down his spine, even though Accelerator wasn't talking to him. Blake was the only other one who really felt the threat, because she frowned. Yang, however, took the threat in stride and made it into a joke.

"Coming for us?" Yang asked. "Well, what you do in the privacy of your own room is up to you." All the girls, except Ruby, gasped, she only tilted her head in confusion.

"Don't be so vulgar!" Weiss snapped at Yang, while she covered Ruby's ears.

 _This is not going to end well,_ Blake and Ren thought.

"We should stop this before it gets out of hand," Pyrrha whispered to Jaune.

"I'm afraid to get involved though," he replied, equally as quietly. Ren had to cover Nora's mouth before she spouted out something to inflame the current situation. It turned out, Accelerator could do that fine on his own.

"Oh?" Accelerator asked, trying to keep his anger in check. He promised Last Order he wouldn't physically hurt any of her new friends, and that promise was being put to the test. The promise didn't change who he was though. Accelerator enjoyed pissing people off who annoyed him. He was smart enough to tell Yang was trying to get a rise out of him, so two could play that game. From his brief experience with her, she was the type who tried to use her looks to toy with guys. It wasn't the first time someone tried that against him. Worst did it constantly, knowing he wouldn't send her through a wall. Funny enough, it was being unable to use violence against her that forced him to learn how to verbally banter. "You think I could jack off to you? I do have some standards."

Everyone else's jaws dropped, except Ruby, who was complaining about not being able to hear.

Yang recovered quickest.

"Playing hard to get?" she asked seductively and shifted herself so she pressed herself against his back. "You sure you aren't feeling… anything? Maybe your little man is rising?"

"Yang!" Weiss and Blake snapped. The situation was rapidly spiraling out of control. Pyrrha instinctively reached for her weapon before remembering it was in her locker.

"Nothing. Now, do you normally whore yourself out to anyone with power? Because I can do better."

Nora and Pyrrha moved to grab Yang's arms after she backed off from Accelerator in shock. No one talked to Yang like that and her eyes had flashed dangerously to red, while the air around her began to heat up. Jaune and Ren stepped forward in case they would be needed to intercept. Weiss pulled Ruby back, while Blake grabbed Last Order's shoulder.

"Calm down, Yang!" Pyrrha cried.

"Be nice! MISAKA reprimands."

"What did you say, Whitey?!" Yang cried and then she smirked. "Oh, I see, you're gay. That explains everything."

"Just because I'm straight doesn't mean I have to be attracted to an ugly bitch." Accelerator retorted.

"Ugly!?" Yang fumed and Nora and Pyrrha struggled to hold her back. "Are you into flat girls?!"

"They are hotter than you." Accelerator continued to rile her up and jabbed his thumb to Weiss and Ruby. Weiss almost blushed, but quickly grew upset too.

"I'm not flat!" she protested. "I'm still growing!"

"What's going on?" Ruby asked, while flailing her arms. "I can't hear anything, but I'm sure Weiss said something!"

"Ow!" Everyone glanced over at Blake, who was shaking her hand. Last Order had shocked her slightly and bolted forward to crash into Accelerator.

"Apologize! MISAKA demands as MISAKA pokes you in the gut." True to her word, she stuck her index finger into Accelerator's stomach. Her expression was no longer happy, amused, or even confused. She was obviously upset.

"For what?" Accelerator muttered.

"You insulted MISAKA's friend! MISAKA says. MISAKA knows you know why, MISAKA adds as MISAKA flails her arms angrily." It was pretty adorable, even though the situation was serious, a lot like when Ruby argued. Simultaneously, Ruby broke free from Weiss's grasp and zipped over to stop in front of Yang, who stopped struggling against her captors.

"You need to apologize too!" Ruby ordered.

"For what? He insulted me?"

"Yang," Ruby said seriously. "I know you had to have teased him first! He would have no reason to insult you otherwise." Yang opened her mouth and closed it again. She knew Ruby was right. "See, we both know it. Now apologize!" Ruby glared at Yang, who pursed her lips in defiance.

"You too! MISAKA adds as MISAKA taps her foot impatiently while you make her wait." Last Order glared at Accelerator. If it had been anyone else in the world, Accelerator would have told her to fuck off. However, Last Order was the only one who could get him to do something he did not want to do. While he may have mellowed out since Russia, dealing with a group called Gremlin, and fighting Touma for a third time, it didn't mean he liked to apologize.

"Tsk." Accelerator made a noise with his tongue.

"Pssh," was Yang's reply.

"Was that their version of an apology?" asked Nora.

"No," Ren replied calmly.

"You two need to grow up!" Weiss snapped at them. "Seriously, it's like a grade school fight because both of you want to play follow the leader and lead." _How could Last Order say Accelerator and I are alike? He's strong, there is no doubt of that. Team CRDL may be a bunch of lunkheads, but they are still Hunters in training. To be defeated so easily without a weapon, that was impressive. However, he's so prideful and quick to anger. That's nothing like me. I'm modest, calm, and never lose my temper._

"Quiet, Princess!" Accelerator and Yang snapped in unison. There was a moment of silence and the two made eye contact, before the hint of a smirk appeared. It seems that making fun of Weiss caused the anger to fade away.

"What…? Why I never… It's heiress!" Weiss spluttered, not expecting the sudden team up.

"Are you going to apologize?" Ruby asked Yang.

"Same." Last Order said and gazed at Accelerator.

"Fine," Yang muttered. Nora and Pyrrha slowly relaxed their grip and she shook them off. They were still prepared to interrupt her if she was faking but, to their relief, their fear was unfounded.

"Whatever," scoffed Accelerator to Last Order, who smiled and beamed at him. She virtually glowed, knowing she managed to convince him. Accelerator stepped passed her and Yang moved passed Ruby. The two of them glared at each other for a moment and then muttered something. A second later they turned around and separated. Only Blake's extraordinary hearing caught what they said.

 _Want to make fun of the Ice Queen later?_

 _Whatever._

Blake decided that was as good as it was going to get for everyone. Poor Weiss would have to accept the fallout eventually.

"Now that everyone has made up," Ren interrupted. "Our ride is here." He pointed out the Bullhead that just landed.

"Finally," Nora said. "I was beginning to wonder if it would ever show."

"Yeah… great," Jaune muttered darkly. "Flying in one of those evil metal boxes…" Jaune's major weakness, that he still had yet to overcome, was air sickness. Even a short ride on a Bullhead was enough to risk losing his last meal.

"You've done it before," Pyrrha reassured him. "Keep concentrating and I know you can do it."

"Vomit Boy," Yang said, as she was about to step into the ship. "You better control yourself! If I lose another pair of shoes… so help you!" Weiss and Blake nodded in agreement. Ruby tried to look apologetic at her sister's words, but it wasn't like she wanted to see it either. Nora and Ren frowned, but they knew this was something Jaune had to work on himself. However, they also made sure not to sit next to him when they traveled.

"I know, Yang," Jaune sighed in defeat.

"This sounds like a story I want to hear," Accelerator commented snidely.

"Oh?" Yang asked and then an idea suddenly came to her. "Then sit next to him and he can tell you, because I sure won't."

"What are you doing?" Weiss demanded in a hush whisper. "If you keep antagonizing him, he might accidently take down the ship."

"I'm in agreement with Weiss," Blake added. "We don't know if his power will go off unexpectedly if he's surprised. This is a little much for revenge. You have no idea how far he will take this."

"I'm sure he will be fine." Yang brushed off their fears. "The way he controlled his power against Cardin's team shows he knows how to use it. I'm pretty sure Vomit Boy can hold it in, but I'm going to keep my scroll ready."

"Good luck, Fearless Leader," Nora told Jaune and smacked him on the back hard enough to make him stumble forward. "I believe in you, but if your barf touches me, I'm throwing you off."

"Understood," Jaune replied.

"She means well," Ren reassured him.

"Why does Yang call Jaune, Vomit Boy? MISAKA asks as MISAKA pulls on your cape to attract your attention." Ruby looked down at Last Order.

"He suffers motion sickness," Ruby whispered and glanced over at Jaune to make sure he didn't hear therm. He appeared to be distracted by the dread of walking into the Bullhead. "On our first day of Beacon, Yang and I met him…" She told the entire story about how Jaune threw up and landed on Yang's new shoes. Last Order found it pretty funny and Ruby agreed, in hindsight, that it was. As they talked, everyone managed to pack into the Bullhead. Jaune sat in a corner and put his head into his hands, doing anything possible to settle his stomach. Accelerator ended up next to him, with a little help from Yang, as she pushed a few others into specific seats. Team RWBY was on the opposite side of those two, outside the potential blast radius, while the NPR or Team JNPR was a little off to the side. Last Order was stationed between Nora and Ruby. Accelerator quickly realized what Yang had done.

"I swear," he growled to Jaune. "If you lose it, I'm sending you through the wall."

"I'm trying," Jaune moaned. "It's best if I don't talk till we land." He covered his mouth with his hand when the ship lurched slightly.

"Have fun," Yang laughed and waved her fingers. The glare she received back from him was expected, but she didn't expect to see him smirk.

"Not sure why you are so carefree," Accelerator replied mildly. "Did you forget I can reflect things? If I happen to… aim at a certain blonde female…" he shrugged. "Anything that hits me will go that direction." Yang's eyes widened.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Wouldn't dare what?" asked Accelerator with false innocence. "I'm going to sleep until we arrive. I'm not responsible for what happens until then." He leaned back and his eyes closed.

"Told you," Blake sighed, as she scooted over to make sure her book wouldn't be affected.

"That's enough!" Weiss finally put her foot down. "You two have been acting like children since you two met. It has to stop. You both are being bad role models for Last Order. Shoot, even Ruby has been a better role model."

"Thanks… hey!"

"Who are you to boss us around, Princess?" asked Accelerator, as he opened one eye to glare at her.

"Apparently the only voice of reason here," Weiss snapped. She glared at Ruby first. As team leader, she should have been the one to stop this. Then her eyes fell on Blake, one of the more rational voices on their team, and she even glanced over at Pyrrha and Ren. They may have been on another team, but Pyrrha usually was happy to help out and Ren was skilled in preventing things from escalating. Ren was busy trying to keep Nora from making things worse and Pyrrha shrunk back in her seat. It seemed like she wasn't planning to get involved in an argument unless it was going to turn physical.

"She also was nice to MISAKA and taught her about this world, MISAKA adds helpfully."

"Thanks, Last Order," Weiss told her gently. "At least someone has manners, but now I'm not sure who you got them from." Last Order smiled at her and Weiss turned back to Accelerator. "And, for the last time, it's not princess, I'm a heiress, but I would prefer if you call me Weiss."

"Not, Miss Schnee?" Blake asked in an undertone, which caused Ruby and Nora to giggle. Weiss ignored her.

"Hmm," Accelerator mused about it for a minute. Weiss was everything he disliked about people, rich, snobby, and considered themselves above others with nothing to back up. Though, he didn't know how strong she was, she might actually be able to back up the talk. There was also the fact that Last Order, for whatever reason, liked her, so he couldn't tell her to go die in a ditch. He settled with a more passive, 'I do what I want' answer. "I heard others call you Ice Queen and Snow Angel. I like those names more than Weiss. So I'm going to call you one of those."

"What?!" Weiss gasped and she glared at the others, who started to snicker. "You can't be serious."

"I'm completely serious," Accelerator replied, but the smirk on his face was contradicting his words.

"Just choose one," Yang laughed. "I'm still going to call you Ice Queen." Weiss growled at her.

"I suppose if I have to deal with her antics," Weiss sighed in defeat. "One more person calling me that won't hurt."

"Alright then, Snow Angel," Accelerator said and his smirk grew.

"What did you just say?!" Weiss cried. "That's not what I chose!"

"I never said you got to choose," Accelerator pointed out. "I only said I was going to call you one of those names." Weiss gaped at him. "Going to ignore the rest of you until we land now." He leaned back and fell asleep. Weiss turned to look at Blake, Last Order, and Ruby.

"You walked into that one," Blake commented, as she looked up from behind her book.

"He doesn't like to call people by their name, MISAKA adds as MISAKA tries to excuse his behavior."

"He's officially one of us," Ruby finished and gave a big thumbs up.

"That does not make me feel any better," Weiss replied, while Yang laughed.

"Hey!" Yang suddenly shouted, as a rolled up piece of paper hit her in the face. "Who threw that?!"

"Cool!" Nora cheered. "It works!" She tore out another piece of paper from a notebook, crumbled it up, and threw it at Accelerator. It bounced off him and flew right at Yang, who was prepared this time. She batted it away. "You guys should try it!"

"He was serious about reflecting at me," Yang gasped. "Jaune, I swear if you vomit a single drop, you're dead!" A weak moan was his answer. Another barrage of small items flew at her head and she blocked it all. "Nora, stop that!"

"Sorry, sis," Ruby laughed. "That was us!" She and Last Order giggled. "Nora was right, this is fun."

"MISAKA likes this new game, MISAKA agrees as MISAKA continues to laugh."

"After we land, Ruby," Yang threatened. "We are going to spend a lot longer finding you shoes. Just wait until you are willing to offer your _sole_ for this trip to end." Another barrage of paper and a can bounced off Accelerator at her for that joke. Everyone else had joined in.

* * *

"What if I hit him harder?" Nora asked Last Order.

"The same thing, MISAKA repeats. Increasing the magnitude does not affect Accelerator's reflection, MISAKA explains as Misaka tries to demonstrate with her hands." She had one of her hands hit her other one and bounce off, while Nora watched. The girls had separated from the boys and their first stop was a clothing store. Yang had to drag Ruby in and Blake followed, more out of amusement if anything else. Weiss wanted to go with her partner, but she decided Blake could reel in Yang, so she was available to work with Last Order.

"But remember when you empowered me with electricity," Nora protested. "I felt like I could smash a mountain. If you fully charged me with everything you had, I could hit him with so much power he wouldn't be able to change the direction. An unstoppable force!"

"Semblances can rarely be explained through normal physics," Pyrrha pointed out. "Look at Blake leaving behind actual clones or Ruby moving at superhuman speed. It sounds like Accelerator's Vector Manipulation is not affected by power, but instead only direction. Unless you can hit him without actually apply a direction, I don't think you have a chance." Nora opened her mouth and Pyrrha quickly continued. "I'm pretty sure switching your attack at the last second wouldn't work either." She and Nora turned to look at Last Order, who nodded.

"Reflection is kind of his default, MISAKA answers as MISAKA thinks she knows what you want to ask. When he uses it around his body, any force that makes contact will be reflected automatically. It's actually really difficult, because he has to make exceptions in the calculations to allow certain forces like light and gravity to reach him."

"Why?" Nora asked.

"Because he can't see without light," Weiss pointed out. It dawned on her immediately. "And without the force of gravity, he wouldn't be able to stand on the ground and float away."

"That sounds really complicated," Pyrrha mentioned. "When I use my Semblance, it's more willing than anything else."

"Is there any weakness to his ability?" Nora asked Last Order.

"MISAKA really shouldn't say, MISAKA replies hesitantly as MISAKA kicks the ground and avoids eye contact. Though, after the healing, MISAKA does not believe he can leave the reflection up all the time, so a surprise attack might be effective… but please don't tell him MISAKA said that MISAKA begs. MISAKA likes being able to hold onto his arm."

"Interesting," Nora muttered, her eyes gleaming and then she frowned. "Nah, I like a challenge. Stooping that low is wrong."

"That's really mature of you, Nora," Pyrrha complimented.

"I'm going to try my smack him harder plan instead," Nora finished.

"And she's back to normal," Weiss deadpanned, before turning to Last Order with a couple of dresses. "You said you wanted similar styles to your current one. I think these would look good on you. Do you need help changing?"

"MISAKA is old enough to dress herself, MISAKA replies boldly, but still happy at Weiss's concern. MISAKA will be right back, MISAKA calls over her shoulder as MISAKA dashes into the changing room." She disappeared in an instant and Weiss sighed.

"She has as much energy as Ruby. Speaking of which, how are the others doing?" Pyrrha glanced over a couple clothing racks.

"Seems she tried to run and Yang was forced to tackle her."

"Man, we are missing the fun," Nora pouted.

"You wanted to talk to Last Order about how to beat Accelerator," Pyrrha pointed out.

"And we learned a lot," Weiss added. "His ability, while powerful, does have some flaws. It requires advanced calculations, something we probably would have a hard time learning. He's also not invincible, no one is." Pyrrha raised an eyebrow and smiled. "He's human, so he still has to breathe. A large enough dust explosion that can deplete oxygen might have an effect."

"Planning to take him down too?" Nora asked. "Sweet! We should totally work together to find out how to beat him. I have skulking cloaks hanging in our closet that haven't been used in like, forever. Ren won't let me spy on people much anymore."

"I was not," Weiss huffed. "But he did mention that he and Last Order would be attending Beacon for a while. We don't know how long they will be here. If Professor Ozpin lets them participate, we might actually face him in combat class. I want to have at least some idea how to fight him," _Or I risk looking weak. He already doesn't have a high opinion of Yang. I guess that's to be expected though._

"Always the A student?" Nora asked. "Right, Weiss?"

"I care about my education," Weiss replied evenly.

"It's not a bad idea," Pyrrha agreed. "I think it would be fun to face Vector Manipulation. It's unlike anything I have experienced before."

"His power sounds so simple in theory," Weiss said to Pyrrha. "Yet reflection is such a small part of it. He can send people and things flying, rocket himself off the ground, and I bet there's more to it." Pyrrha nodded.

"So what are you three talking about?" Yang asked, magically appearing and throwing her arms over Weiss's and Pyrrha's shoulders.

"How to beat Accelerator," Nora answered immediately.

"Awesome!" Yang exclaimed. "Let me in on that."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Pyrrha said hesitantly.

"Why?"

"Because you don't like him," Weiss answered bluntly. "And you two keep fighting over every little thing."

"Who says I don't like him?" Yang asked confused.

"…What?!" Weiss, Pyrrha, and Nora asked in shock. Their faces betrayed their confusion.

"He's pretty cool," Yang explained with a shrug. "Don't see many boys, especially ones smaller than me, able to stand up to my teasing, but I still need to embarrass him for revenge. I don't do even. I'm in it to win it."

"But you got so pissed at him," Nora remembered. "Blows were about to be exchanged."

"He got me good," Yang agreed. "Though, if he had touched the hair, we wouldn't be talking about this so calmly."

"So you actually like him?" Pyrrha asked to clarify and Weiss stiffened.

"As someone to hang out with, sure." Yang suddenly realized what Pyrrha was implying and began to laugh. "Oh, you mean like Weiss does? Nah, I prefer more muscular guys. He's too scrawny for me. Now, if he began to pump some iron, Mama Yang might be interested."

"I can't believe…" Weiss blinked, and then changed direction. "Who said I liked him?!"

"Quit denying it," Yang shushed her and rolled her eyes. "You totally love his bad boy attitude and the fact he doesn't even know what your family does. I bet you imagine him dominating you." Yang turned to Pyrrha. "So, P-money, what are his weaknesses. Spill it."

"I don't think-…" Pyrrha tried to reply, but Weiss took over.

"You moronic gorilla!" Weiss snapped. "How dare you insinuate that I ever think of something so barbaric!?"

"Why is your face growing so red then?" Yang asked with a huge grin.

"Wow, Weiss," Nora said surprised. "Was it love at first sight? Kind of like how Jaune-Jaune fell for you?" Pyrrha flinched.

"Don't remind me of that," Weiss groaned and face palmed. "I don't feel that way about Accelerator. We just met and he is too… abrasive for my taste."

"Sounds like someone is in deni-…" Yang was interrupted by a red blur appearing between them.

"Finally done," Ruby sighed and held up a bag. "Weiss, Yang, you two finally happy?"

"It's not about being happy," Weiss refuted, but secretly glad to change the subject. "It's about being an adult."

"I am an adult," Ruby protested. "I drink milk."

"Did she try to run?" Yang asked Blake, who just arrived.

"Actually, no." Blake shook her head. "She only protested trying them on, not purchasing them."

"So first order of business is finished," Yang said. "That leaves Last Order's clothes. Where is she anyways?"

"She's currently trying on some clothes," Pyrrha informed her. As if on cue, Last Order showed up, twirling in one of her new dresses. It was a light blue with white trimming. She bounded up to Weiss and tugged on her skirt.

"They fit great! MISAKA informs Weiss excitedly as MISAKA shows off her dress."

"I knew they would," Weiss replied and smiled.

"Geeze, Weiss," Yang commented. "Turning her into a mini _Weiss_ Queen? Are you going to dye her hair next?"

"I also provided her with a red, yellow, and green dress," Weiss snapped at her. "She needed a variety. One can hardly wear the same thing every day."

"I just realized something," Ruby interrupted. "Who is going to pay for her clothes, since Accelerator is with Jaune and Ren?"

"Good question," Yang agreed. "He mentioned Ozpin gave him money. Did anyone get his scroll number?"

"Does he even have a scroll?" Nora inquired.

"Guess we call Vomit Boy then," Yang amended and reached for her scroll.

"Wait!" Pyrrha interrupted. "He actually gave me his money and said to use it for her." She pulled out several Lien cards.

"When did he give you those?" Ruby asked.

"Shortly before we split up," Pyrrha answered, but the look on her face said there was more.

"I'm surprised he trusted you with them," Yang said impressed.

"I guess he didn't have much choice," Pyrrha replied with a shrug.

"I believe his exact words were," Blake interrupted and everyone turned toward her. Her lips twitched slightly. "You seem like the most trustworthy one here. Don't let blondie take them. She would splurge on alcohol or hair products." After a moment of silence, Nora started snickering.

"Sorry," Pyrrha apologized.

"He's not wrong," Nora explained, when she noticed everyone looking at her.

"Hey!" Weiss scoffed offended. "I'm trustworthy."

"Sure," Yang muttered sarcastically. "And I wouldn't spend all that money on those things."

"That's right," Ruby agreed. "She would have to buy me some cookies to keep my silence."

"And pancakes," Nora added.

"And this is why he gave the money to Pyrrha," Blake finished. Everyone could see the wisdom in the decision.

"Does he have enough? MISAKA asks curiously as MISAKA examines the strange currency. We don't know the pricing of your world."

"I think he may be a little short," Weiss admitted, after quickly counting the Lien.

"Then MISAKA will put one back, MISAKA says."

"You don't have to," Yang reassured her. "Remember, Weiss is the princess of a large empire. I'm sure she has money to spare for your needs."

"Really? MISAKA asks." She turned to Weiss and tilted her head.

"I can," Weiss agreed and then glared at Yang. "I told you before not to volunteer me to pay for things, even if I would in this case."

"Aww," Nora cooed. "Weiss has a heart of gold. Remember how short tempered she was with me when we first met, Pyrrha?"

"She just wasn't used to the amount of energy you have," Pyrrha reassured Nora politely, determined not to hurt anyone's feelings.

"I am a very generous person," Weiss sniffed and held out a hand to Last Order, who quickly grabbed it. "Come on, let's go check out." Pyrrha handed her the Lien and watched the two go.

"You know," Yang whispered to Ruby and Blake. "We could solve a lot of problems if you two would just let me take out a credit card in her name."

"I told you before," Ruby said sternly and crossed her arms. "That is stealing, no matter how much cookies and strawberries you offer." She pursed her lips together to steel her resolve against the temptations of her favorite foods.

"Plus, she would kill us when she found out," Blake added.

"Minor details," Yang dismissed them.

"What do you think the guys are up to?" Nora asked excitedly. "You think they got into some trouble and had to show off their awesome skills to get out?"

"Well," Pyrrha answered her teammate with a smile. "Accelerator needs some clothes and Ren was going to restock his herbs and your pancake makings, but anything after that is up to them. I'm sure they are going to find something productive to do with their time."

* * *

"He's obviously done this before, Ren!" Jaune yelled. "Don't go easy on him anymore!"

"I'm pretty sure this is his first time," Ren replied, but kept his focus. A large crowd was gathering around him, Jaune, and Accelerator. He kept a firm grip on the gun, as he aimed and continued to fire without missing a single shot. _Besides, it wasn't like I was going easy on him anyways._ He fired a couple more times and reloaded. Accelerator wasn't doing half bad, a lot better than Ren expected. Jaune may have been wrong about Accelerator doing this before, but he probably did something similar. The crowd cheered when the buzzer went off and Ren set down his gun.

He received the high score on Grimm Blaster. Accelerator managed to scrape third.

After the guys separated from the girls, it was only a short trip to the supermarket for Ren to pick up what he needed. They then found a men's clothing store for Accelerator. It took him about ten minutes to find himself clothes and leave. They were mostly black and white, but there was a blue shirt mixed in. It wasn't like he really cared about fashion, the clothes just had to fit. Jaune noticed the entire time, none of them really talked much. Ren wasn't the most conversational person around, but it wasn't like he didn't talk. He just didn't always have something to say. Accelerator seemed to refer to keep to himself too, unless Ruby and the other girls were pestering him. Jaune took it upon himself to try to bridge the gap.

"The girls are probably going to be busy for another couple of hours," Jaune had suggested. "How about we hit the arcade to kill some time?" Ren agreed, because none of the stuff he bought required refrigeration anytime soon and he wanted to check to make sure his high scores were still up there. Accelerator shrugged and followed, because there really wasn't much else to do. While Accelerator may not have known the exact games Vale had to offer, it wasn't like he never played them. Last Order loved the arcade, so he took her their occasionally. The first couple games were boring, until he saw the first person shooter with a realistic gun. Ren volunteered to face him and that led to the current situation.

"Not bad," Jaune complimented Accelerator. "Ren has a lot more experience than you. He and Nora come here a lot."

"We used to," Ren corrected him. "Nora's still banned from breaking the punching machine."

"Her punches really hurt," Jaune agreed and rubbed his shoulder.

"She used her hammer."

"Oh."

"Tsk." Accelerator made an impatient sound, but he admired the gun controller. "Thought this place would have some plastic piece of crap, but this thing almost feels real. Weight, balance, if it actually had recoil, I might have believed this was an actual gun."

"This side is for older gamers," Jaune informed him. "The rows down there are for kids. I think they have those cheap plastic blue guns." Accelerator rolled his eyes.

"Why don't you contact the others and let them know where we are." Ren suggested. "Maybe find out how long before we can expect them?"

"Good idea." Jaune sent a quick message to Ruby.

"What else do you guys do?" Accelerator asked. He needed to know what Vale had to offer and he didn't have his music to help pass the time.

"We are students," Ren explained. "So a good portion of our time is spent learning, including studying." Accelerator gave a brief nod. He could relate to that. Back in Academy City, even if he was in an isolated advanced curriculum, it was still a class. "We also have to train a lot to fight Grimm. Trips to Vale are usually just for weekends."

"We use the arcade for some guy time," Jaune added. "Being surrounded by girls can be…"

"Tiring," Ren provided.

"Yes, that."

"Can understand that," muttered Accelerator. "I felt like I wanted to blow my brains out on the ride here."

"They aren't that bad," Jaune said. "Except if the cafeteria runs out of pancakes."

"They learned their lesson the first time," Ren sighed.

"What's actually in Vale?" Accelerator asked.

"Probably similar to your world," Jaune said with a shrug. "We got restaurants, movie theaters, shops, pretty much what any normal city has. I know a bookstore that keeps some popular comics, if you are into that."

"The Ruby girl said something about weapon shops?"

"Those are pretty common," Ren answered. "Though, most Hunters prefer to make their own, many just buy one. I'm not sure how much you need one with your power, but a backup would never be a bad idea. You seem accustomed to pistols, so that should be pretty cheap. If you want something with more stopping power, those tend to run up in price."

"Can't help you much with that," Jaune added. "I use a shield and sword myself. Sword's virtually indestructible, so I never had to replace it." He frowned in thought. "Huh, I can't remember even sharpening it."

"Nothing is indestructible," Accelerator replied curtly. "I bet I could break it in a second."

"Please don't," Jaune begged. "It's a family heirloom."

"Nora tried to break the blade once," Ren remembered. "She hit it with Magnhild and I still occasionally hear that ringing in my ears." The three of them grabbed their stuff and started leaving the arcade.

"What about dust?" Accelerator changed topics. "I saw some interesting effects from someone when that woman tested me."

"Goodwitch?" Jaune asked and Accelerator gave a curt nod. "I don't know much about dust, Weiss is the most knowledgeable one about that, but there are stores. You probably won't be able to use it, except maybe some dust bullets."

"Why is that?" Accelerator questioned challenging.

"Aura is required to activate a lot of dust," Jaune explained. "Though, some dust is really volatile, so a strong impact causes it to go off." He turned to Ren. "A little help? You use it more than I do. I only know the basics from class."

"Dust can be found in two primary forms," Ren elaborated. "Powder and crystal. Powder is easier to control, but lacks the raw power of crystals. Dust guns tend to use powder, so the bullets don't accidently explode in the chamber."

"What exactly is dust?" Accelerator asked. "Ozpin gave me a rough overview, but it's the energy source of your world, right?"

"Besides knowing it's mined from the ground and how to use it," Ren replied. "No one really knows where it came from or how it forms. We locate mines and harvest what is dug up. The Schnee Dust Corporation is Remnant's largest supplier and most of Vale's stock comes from them."

"Schnee?" The name registered with Accelerator. "Oh, the rich girl. She's going to inherit that company or something?" Ren nodded.

"She likes to mention it," Jaune commented. "But I don't really care about that. She's a little… rough around the edges when you first meet her, but once you get to know her, you find out she's not a snobby rich girl." Accelerator raised an eyebrow and Jaune shrugged. "I figured you were the same way."

"Oh, do tell?" Sarcasm oozed from Accelerator's words.

"I bet a lot of people get intimidated by your power," Jaune replied. "To be honest, I would be too, but Last Order is such a nice girl and she really idolizes you. You aren't as cold hearted as you try to act." Ren kept a determinedly straight face as Accelerator frowned.

"You're annoying," Accelerator told him. "You know that?"

"So I've been told," Jaune confirmed with a grin.

"Do you always act so chummy around strangers?"

"My mom says strangers are just friends you haven't met yet," Jaune said proudly. Accelerator blinked in surprised, before face palming.

"You are such an idiot." This time, Ren could not hide his smirk at Accelerator's words. Before Jaune could respond, someone else interrupted.

"JAAAUUNNNEEE!" Ruby cried and smashed into him at high speeds.

"Gah!?" Jaune gasped, as he was knocked down by the red blur. "Ruby?" He found himself on his butt with Ruby sitting in his lap, holding a bag.

"How could you?!" she demanded and poked his chest. "There I was stuck being tortured by Yang, while you, Ren, and Accelerator were playing at the arcade!"

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," Jaune tried to dismiss her complaints.

"It was worse!" Ruby protested. "Yang was never satisfied and Blake only made it take longer when she didn't like something!"

"It's over and done with, right?" Jaune asked. "Doing things you don't like but have to do is part of being an adult." Ruby wanted to argue, but she couldn't. She knew that and didn't want to admit it. Instead, a pout was her compromise, but it only made her look cute and childish. Jaune couldn't resist rubbing her head and messing up her hair.

"Stop that!"

"Where are the others?" Ren asked, worried about what would happen if Nora was left alone.

"They were right behind… oh," _I used my semblance,_ Ruby realized. _Oops._ She giggled nervously, but quickly stopped when Yang rounded the corner.

"Found her!" she called over her shoulder. The other girls quickly arrived. "Sheesh, Ruby. You can't bolt off like that… oh. I see what you were up to. Missed Vomit Boy that much?" Yang indicated Ruby's position on Jaune. Ruby looked down and realized what she was doing.

"Eep!" she cried and bolted off him. Her red hood covered her bright red face.

"You find everything?" Jaune asked Pyrrha, as he stood up and dusted himself off. He tried to pass that incident off as nothing big, but he was obviously embarrassed.

"Yep," Pyrrha replied cheerfully. "Last Order was very cooperative."

"Naturally," Weiss agreed. "She is a very well behaved young lady."

"Does MISAKA look good? MISAKA asks as MISAKA twirls to show off her new dress." Her eyes stopped on Accelerator and waited for his response. She wasn't the only one. Pretty much everyone turned to watch those two, Yang was smirking, and Accelerator rolled his eyes.

"You look fine," he relented.

"Yay!" Last Order bounded forward and hung onto Accelerator's arm.

"Ren!" Nora half-shouted and turned toward her best friend. "How could you go to the arcade without me?"

"You are banned, remember?"

"Nah, he was only upset," Nora countered. "I bet he's calmed down by now and forgot."

"No I haven't!" a man shouted from the arcade behind them. "Don't you dare come back!"

"Next time maybe you should have a sign saying no hammers!" Nora shot back. Ren had to grab her arm to keep her back. Weiss rubbed the bridge of her nose in exasperation.

"What about you, Grumpy?" Yang asked Accelerator. "You get some clothes to show off your twig arms?" He glared at her a moment before answering.

"Found a couple I liked," Accelerator answered. "But no matter how much you flatter me, you still aren't getting any." Yang smirked back.

"Are you the girl in this relationship?"

"Nah, I'm the guy who doesn't care that your younger sister and the idiot were talking about getting a hotel room." Ruby's and Jaune's mouth fell open at the lie. If Pyrrha had been holding something, it would have been crushed. Ren actually turned around in surprise, but was still concentrating on making sure Nora didn't charge into the arcade and start wrecking things. Weiss could tell this was fake, because neither of those two social awkward people would have the courage for that. Blake was in a similar mind set, but Yang's sisterly instincts overrode common sense.

"Oh, did they?" Yang turned slowly to Jaune. Her hair started to rise, the air grew hot, and her eyes flashed red. "Looks like Vomit Boy and I need to have a talk." Jaune knew she wasn't at the reasoning stage, so he did the next best thing any innocent person in front of Yang would do.

He ran like hell.

"Get back here!" Yang roared angrily and chased after him.

"Don't kill him, Yang!" Ruby cried and darted after them.

"That was mean," Blake commented to Accelerator.

"She's going to kill Arc," Weiss added.

"She isn't really going to? MISAKA asks worriedly as MISAKA disapproves of your joke." Her eyes bore into Accelerator's.

"I'm sure he will be fine," Accelerator told her dismissively. "He seems like he can take a hit." Pyrrha frowned at him.

Little did any of them realize, their antics had attracted some unwanted attention. A man dressed in a black suit with a matching hat and shoes, red sunglasses, and a red tie noticed them. He recognized Yang instantly as the girl that wrecked Junior's club not too long ago. Once Yang and Ruby disappeared after Jaune, his eyes fell onto Accelerator and Last Order. He blinked and pulled out his scroll to check a picture. When he verified they were indeed the people Junior was looking for, he dialed.

"Boss, I found them."

* * *

"These reports are troubling," Glynda said worriedly across the desk from Ozpin. "The Grimm have always been active around Mt. Glenn, but they seem to be actually congregating."

"The question is, why?" Ozpin leaned back in his chair and cross his fingers. "That area has always been a focus of negativity and required culling every few years, but this is happening too fast."

"Do you have any theories?" Glynda asked.

"Many, but without more evidence, I will be unable to narrow it down. Sometimes, an unlikely answer turns out to be true. Just because you wish for something to be fake, doesn't mean it is." He sipped his coffee. "Do we have any second or third year teams available?"

"We only had one third year team available," Glynda reported, scanning her scroll. "However, they were sent out this morning to assist with an emergency in an outlying village. Team CFVY is scheduled to return in a couple of days. Should we wait for them?"

"The longer we wait," Ozpin replied. "The worst this situation will grow."

Glynda adjusted her glasses and stared at Ozpin. "What about Qrow? Could you reach him?"

"He is under radio silence. We can't let his position be compromised." Glynda frowned and ran through the options in her head.

"Sir, you can't possibly mean…?"

"I don't see many other options."

"What about contacting some of the Hunters stationed in Vale? You can't possibly be thinking of sending a first year team to investigate this?"

"I'm worried some of the Hunters may be compromised," Ozpin answered and stood up. He walked over to the window and looked out across Beacon. "The information discovered may relate to our current situation."

"You think someone from Accelerator's world is there?" Glynda asked and frowned.

"I believe the probability favors the boy Qrow encountered," Ozpin replied. "Accelerator mentioned the man they fought could control water and we received reports of someone fitting that description near the Grimm Wilds."

"Wasn't he seen in the company of Roman Torchwick's organization?" Glynda asked and Ozpin nodded. "But he's working with the White Fang, so that means… Ozpin, we definitely cannot send in a first year team!"

"I agree it would be too dangerous for a single first year team," Ozpin concurred. "I would prefer for a fourth year team to investigate, but we do not have that luxury."

"So what do you suggest?"

"If one team would be insufficient, let's rectify that."

"Insufficient… two teams? For a first time mission? Ozpin, I have questioned many of the decisions you have made in the past, but I held my tongue. This time, you are risking their lives in something that could quickly spiral out of control. Torchwick and the White Fang can't be underestimated."

"I know how dangerous that man is, Glynda," Ozpin said sternly. His voice was hard. "I will not willingly send children into a suicide mission. Remember, it is only hypothetical that Accelerator's friend is there. His power can negate Aura and repel Grimm, but I do not understand why Grimm would approach him."

"You abused your authority and listened through their scrolls," Glynda realized. Accelerator had only told him about Touma's power to negate supernatural things. There was no guarantee it would work on Grimm.

"I am allowed to listen without prior notice if I believe the information relates to the safety of students and Vale," Ozpin pointed out passively. "Miss Belladonna is a rather unique student due to her past, along with the fact she and her team did not report the incident. The information involving Mr. Touma Kamijou could have an impact far beyond even Vale. You can be sure Roman Torchwick is planning to use him to the fullest."

"It still doesn't answer my concerns about sending two teams into an area overrun by Grimm and possibly the White Fang. You can't expect them to fight against those odds."

"Of course not," Ozpin agreed. "I plan to send both teams to accomplish two different objectives. One will be in charge of thinning the Grimm population, the other will be performing reconnaissance and try to find out why the Grimm are congregating. Should the situation become dire, they will be permitted to retreat with any information gathered. I am also considering sending Barty with them as an escort."

"If that's all," Glynda relented. "And Barty is with them, I can agree to that."

"It will still be dangerous," Ozpin continued. "But all of them understood the danger when they applied to Beacon."

"When should I plan for them to set out? I'm pretty sure I know which teams you plan to send."

"Inform them after classes tomorrow," Ozpin decided. "They will leave Tuesday morning and need to be well rested. If things get bad, Team CFVY should have returned the following day and be able to act as backup."

"It still feels a little too early for their first mission," Glynda sighed and rubbed her temple.

"The life of a Hunter is full of the unexpected," Ozpin said after another sip of his coffee. "It's best they learn it early on and don't get complacent."

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **You can probably tell this chapter indicates the slice of life portion is winding down for some adventure. Due to outsiders messing with the timeline, things are changing slowly. Who knows what else is going to happen because of the butterfly effect? (If you do, I need to know. I make this up as I go.)**

 **Current Ship Names:**

 **Yang and Touma: Fistbump / Golden Dragon / Imagine Dragon**

 **Weiss and Touma: Prince and Princess / Princess and the Pauper / Shattered Mirror**

 **Ruby and Touma: Blossoming / Thorny Rose / Speedy Rescue**

 **Blake and Touma: Nine Lives / Bad Luck**

 **Velvet and Touma: Bunny Couple / Rabbit's Foot**

 **Penny and Touma: Android's Dream**

 **Ren and Touma: Lotus Fist**

 **Jaune and Touma: Better Luck Next Time**

 **Nora and Touma: Glutton for Punishment**

 **Glynda and Touma: Teacher's Pet / Promise Lands**

 **Emerald and Touma: Shattered Illusions / Illusion Breaker**

 **Twins and Touma: Triple Threat / Cerberus**

 **Cinder and Touma: Through the Fire and Flame / Fire Demons / Sinner and Savior**

 **Neo and Touma: Uncertain Flavor / Breaking Reality**

 **Salem and Touma: Burning Witch / Light and Shadow / Shattering Darkness**

 **Accelerator and Weiss: Cold and Calculating / Ice Vector / Cold Shoulders**

 **Accelerator and Yang: Road Rage / Short Fuse / Way of the Dragon**

 **Accelerator and Ruby: One-Way Rose / No Brakes**

 **Accelerator and Blake: Twilight Arrow / Chain and Sickly**

 **Accelerator and Nora: Shattered Bones / Broken Dreams / Nerve Impulse**

 **Accelerator and Velvet: White Flash**

 **Accelerator and Glynda: Fix and Destroy**

 **Accelerator and Penny: String Theory**

 **Accelerator and Sun: Sunny and Sullen**

 **Accelerator and Coco: Fashionable Disaster**

 **Accelerator and Pyrrha: Opposites Attract**

 **Accelerator and Raven: Yang's Nightmare**


	11. Back to School

**Part of me feels slightly bad Touma isn't getting a lot of screen time, but then I remember he gets way too much screen time in other stories. It's time for Accelerator to have fun, and by fun I mean annoyed. A bunch of girls who seem to stick their noses into everything that doesn't concern them is sure to change his outlook on life. Or cause mass deaths, one of those. Who knows, maybe Yang will push him over the edge and he will get back at her by dating her mom. Seriously, everyone seems to be so excited about Accelerator X Raven. I really enjoyed the ship name, but everyone else seems to want the actually ship to happen. I know Raven likes strong guys, but I can't really see it happening if everyone remains in character. But what do I know? Stranger things have happened. I'm going to make an omake about it at least because it will be hilarious. Already have it planned out. Anyways, let's move onto comments.**

 **TheCasualReader: The author of the LN wanted the series to be a battle manga. It was actually his publisher than encouraged him to add a few more romantic scenes. A big difference between the RWBY universe and the Index universe characters is the RWBY cast is a little more forward in the romance department, especially Yang. Since this isn't a LN focused purely on battle, it could be possible for Touma to develop a relationship with someone. The biggest factor in preventing this is the fact it's another world and he is still going to try to get back, so he would be hesitant to do anything with anyone here, knowing it would be a temporary thing.**

 **LL: Nine Lives was made because Blake's a cat and Touma seems to have multiple lives. Every LN he picks up a couple roe to replace the ones he lost. Yeah, if Touma gets the opportunity to save someone, he will. It's just how he is. Can't be too early though, or some of the later events won't occur. If Touma could get a picture of Blake in a catgirl maid outfit, his friends' heads would explode. Touma got a goddess to fall for him, I'm sure a Grimm Queen would be doable.**

 **Artyom-Dreizehn: I try, but it's difficult. Sometimes they will act a little OOC because I'm not a professional and these aren't characters I developed. Jaune is going to be the important link to bring people together.**

 **GuestStar: Dust itself is not magic, right. It's a substance mined from the earth. Magic is created when Aura, the spiritual energy of people on Remnant, is combined with dust. Like when Cinder used it against Ruby to make shards of ice. True magic does not require dust, which is what the Maiden, and probably the relics, have. Accelerator figured out flame dust after one to two hits, but I'm assuming different types of dust fused with Aura will have slightly different calculations. Of course I know their plans won't work, but they don't know that. They are developing plans other have come up with, so it's only natural some of them have already occurred.**

 **Spartastic 4: Worst would be great to bring in. At least Yang would learn why Accelerator is immune to all her teasing. Mikoto and Othinus would be the two to visit Touma, if I brought more people. They would be hilarious, with Othinus trying to convince the others she's a goddess.**

 **The Rupture: Accelerator is pretty smart, I'm sure he could learn about it with time. He doesn't have his iPod to listen to music, so maybe he can pass time reading when he's not sleeping. Invulnerability seems like a good back up, but a friend suggested giving Jaune reflection. It would explain why Cardin hurt his hand when he punched Jaune and how Jaune could survive a lot of encounters. He would subconsciously reflect some of the power. Accelerator would love that.**

 **HikariNiwa: Can't take credit for that name, but I really love it.**

 **dickythamrin077: Slowly moving toward combat now. Using this chapter to practice writing in the RWBY universe before the big event.**

 **Prof. Pancakes: Yes, he has. I've left some small clues about the time period scattered throughout the chapters.**

 **YeTianshi: Heh, someone that doesn't care about Touma shipping. Raven would appreciate Accelerator's power, even if he is kind of scrawny. The look of horror on Yang's face when Accelerator is found in bed with her mom. It would be a stretch to get Pyrrha and Accelerator together.**

 **Guest: 1) Limiting the number of names to around three, so I keep the ones I like the most. 2) I would not doubt that at all. I like the Coco X Touma one. Yang's Worst Nightmare would actually be Accelerator x Ruby X Raven. Her poor younger sister being corrupted.**

 **Darkblacke: Thanks for the compliment.**

 **TheRealSquibbyJ: I have a rough outline to a certain point, then it's going to go off on a tangent.**

 **SpiderhunterXXX: Touma's IB would just come back if he lost his hand. The dragon in Remnant will be fun though.**

 **Rekyuu: The focus of this story isn't romance, but shipping is fun.**

 **Croniklerx: Now I have to go through all the names and decide which ones I really like. I refuse to put Cardin and Accelerator together like that. Ewww. Sadly, Touma does not play a big part right now, he will later one, but it's primarily on Accelerator and his new friends. You can chat with me whenever, but I do enjoy reading your posts. I had some experience with Last Order and Accelerator, so writing them as complete opposites is pretty easy, though you have to add a little scheming in there. I'm hiding this in your response, but people don't know the final ships are the ones with the best name. Don't let the others know. I thought of a new Penny X Touma name when I read your comment. Spoiler, the dragon was planned to come out sometime there. I want to save Accelerator's white wings for a big scene, when his normal powers won't quite be enough. We have one scene with Jaune's semblance, and Cardin only hurt his hand. Could easily be some type of reflection to piss off Accelerator into realizing he's not unique.**

 **TheLastSterling: I have one Omake planned for the near future. Not sure what kind of other omakes I could do, but maybe have some more Index characters meet the RWBY characters. Yang and Worst wouldn't be a couple, but they would definitely cause Accelerator nightmares with their antics.**

 **Salishious: Hmm, nah, there has to be better names for Touma X Raven.**

 **Shadow: Thanks**

 **Nyx: I won't ship Last Order with people because of the age difference.**

 **WiliamZ0: Touma is going to lead the Faunus to victory, at least the female ones. She's not going to be as cheerful. That's one way I can see Touma attracting Ruby. Get her addicted to his amazing cookies. Mt. Glenn is going to learn that Accelerator is the unstoppable force. Pretty sure Adam stabs her when they meet again. Do you want that?! Cornered animals are the most dangerous. If Touma trapped one and approached it, I bet it would lash out. The thing is, Touma thinks negatively a lot, so they are attracted to those emotions, but then the IB keeps them away. It's a paradox for the Grimm.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: For pairings to happen, they have to have that first flag. You can't just put two people in the same room and suddenly they are a couple.**

 **RPGPersona: Accelerator and Touma are obviously bros like Jaune and Ren. Accelerator doesn't know how injured Touma always ends up. He only knows that Touma saves people against all odds and everything works out. (Hacks) Nora keeps all her shipping material under her bed. Yang's goal right now is to defeat Accelerator by embarrassing him. She's not having much luck. Worst is much better than she is. Why would Nora trying anything else besides hitting harder? It worked for Goku. Weiss would be so pissed if she found out Yang managed to get a credit card out in her name. Would be funny to watch though. Jaune will be the only one on Accelerator's scroll when he gets one. Maybe Weiss, or Yang if she steals it. What on earth will Roman due with the information? Will he tell Touma?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

"Are we heading back to your dorm now? MISAKA asks, as MISAKA doesn't know what the plan is." The group arrived back at Beacon and had just gotten off the Bullhead.

"We have to drop off all of our stuff," Weiss replied. "Then we can head to the cafeteria for dinner."

"Yay, food!" Nora cheered. "I'm starving."

"You all go ahead," Pyrrha said. "Jaune and I will be up in a few minutes." The others turned to see Jaune retching over a trashcan.

"I can't believe he gets sick that badly," Accelerator scoffed. "How old is he, five?"

"Motion sickness is a lot more common than you would think!" Jaune protested and then quickly doubled over the can again. Pyrrha stood nearby, but she didn't approach him.

"Let P-money handle him," Yang laughed. "I want to put these clothes away before anything happens to them." She had managed to find several casual outfits during their excursion.

"Our rooms are right across the hall from each other," Ren informed Accelerator, since Last Order had already been there.

"Ruby and Weiss have bunkbeds! MISAKA adds. MISAKA thinks we should get bunkbeds when we return home MISAKA says, as MISAKA expresses her desire."

"They are awesome," Ruby added proudly.

"No," Accelerator answered immediately.

"Ouch, that was cold," Yang pointed out.

"Why not?" Weiss asked. "You didn't even consider it."

"Pot calling kettle?" Blake muttered, but loud enough for Weiss to hear. "What was your original response when Ruby wanted bunkbeds?"

"That was completely different," Weiss rebuffed and stomped her foot. "I at least considered it and then agreed."

"It was three against one," Ruby recalled.

"And you complained for a week about it," Blake added.

"That was before I knew it was secure," Weiss replied, defending herself. She actually enjoyed bunkbeds, it was just the death contraption Ruby made infuriated her for a while.

"Why can't we? MISAKA asks, as MISAKA tugs on your shirt." Accelerator looked down at her and sighed, slightly annoyed he had to explain himself.

"You know exactly what would happen," he answered. "Worst would make it her life's goal to collapse it on someone." The others looked confused at who Worst was. It wasn't a real name on Remnant, but they could hardly comment about other worlds.

"True, MISAKA admits. The Evil One would only cause destruction."

"Who's Worst?" Nora asked curiously.

"Her sister," Accelerator answered, but didn't go into details. Everything suddenly made sense, including Last Order's description of Worst.

"She sounds like a riot," Yang laughed. Accelerator rolled his eyes and Last Order shook her head violently. They reached the team's room and once Ruby unlocked the door, Last Order virtually dragged Accelerator in. It only took one quick glance to see several design issues.

"Why have those abominations of engineering not fallen yet?" he asked, indicating the lopsided bed hanging by ropes and the other bed being propped up on books over the other.

"Fort Ruby will never fall," Ruby cried and she and Last Order disappeared into the one hanging by ropes and covered by a sheet. They both stuck there heads out from behind a small wall of pillows.

"Ours is fine, too," Yang answered and hopped onto the top bunk of her bed. The bed wobbled slightly, but did not collapse. Accelerator raised an eyebrow at Blake and Weiss.

"I trust my reflexes will save me," Blake told him, aware of his disbelief.

"There is not a single night I don't fear for my life," Weiss sighed. "But it does give us a lot more room. When we first arrived and unpacked, we could barely move."

"If you want to risk your lives," Accelerator said, uncaring. "No skin off my back." He turned to Last Order. "You're not sleeping there tonight, brat."

"Aww, MISAKA complains, as MISAKA likes the floating fort."

"It's actually pretty stable," Blake pointed out.

"Come on!" Ruby whined. "Last Order got to spend last night with Team JNPR. Let her stay with us tonight!"

"Can MISAKA sleep with you once accommodations are made? MISAKA asks, as MISAKA misses staying in the same room as you." Accelerator flinched at the sight of Yang's grin.

"Oh?" Yang asked, highly amused. "Does our resident Ice King have a soft spot for younger girls? Maybe even sleeping together?" Blake and Weiss tensed up, knowing what she was implying and expecting a fight. Ruby tilted her head in confusion.

"Yang!" Weiss snapped. "Quit being so vulgar! That's disgusting."

"But," Ruby interjected. "Me and Yang slept together all the time when we were younger."

"That's different, Ruby," Yang dismissed.

"MISAKA has her own room, MISAKA informs everyone. However, MISAKA likes to sneak into Accelerator's room at night and sleep there, MISAKA adds. He usually lets MISAKA." Yang's grin grew and Blake quickly threw a hand over her mouth to prevent the situation from escalating.

"There's nothing wrong with Accelerator being nice to Last Order," Weiss told Yang seriously. "She's only a kid." From Last Order's descriptions, she could occasionally catch a glimpse of the softer side of Accelerator. He put up a cold front, but he actually was a genuinely nice guy. She kind of understood his position, as she had been there when they first arrived at Beacon. It took another person telling her she should focus on being the best person she could be, that she began to open up.

"I'm leaving," Accelerator huffed. "You all annoy me more than the others." He turned to leave and, right before he shut the door. "Bye, Snow Angel."

Maybe Weiss was mistaken.

* * *

Team RUBY, JNPR, Accelerator, and Last Order were sitting at their usual table. Everyone's moods were varying wildly. Ruby was the most depressed, as Weiss and Yang both reminded her she was not allowed to have any cookies. She grabbed a piece of cake from the cafeteria, but it wasn't the same. Weiss and Last Order were talking to each other and Last Order must have been saying something funny, because Weiss was smiling, an unusual occurrence. Pyrrha and Jaune were talking to Ren, though it was mostly Jaune doing the talking. Yang was talking to Blake, who was trying to read. Yang was planning something and Blake was humoring her with one or two word answers. Nora had taken it upon herself to talk to Accelerator and tell him some stories about Team JNPR's adventures. While the stories may have been exaggerated, Nora always had a knack with storytelling. Accelerator found himself listening to them, even if he would rather eat soap than admit it.

"Do you have it?" Yang suddenly asked Ren, who nodded.

"Have what…? Oh, crap." Jaune realized what she was referring too when Ren pulled out a green smoothie.

"You didn't think we would forget, Arc?" Weiss sneered. This was partial revenge for all the times he annoyed her and the fact he almost made a comeback during their sparing match.

"If I have to go without cookies," Ruby added. "You can drink a single shake!"

"Ruby!" Jaune gasped. "I thought we were friends."

"Lack of cookies makes her irritable," Blake informed him and looked up from her book.

"It's best to just get it over with," Pyrrha told Jaune. She was sympathetic of his plight, but Jaune did make a promise. There wasn't much he wouldn't do, but breaking a promise was not something he would even consider. Jaune slowly reached forward and grabbed the glass.

"Gulp it down as fast as possible," Nora recommended. "It's really bitter, but it takes a few moments to actually kick in." She dug into her own food, chewed for a moment, and shivered. "I remember the first time I tried it. So bad. I can't understand why he drinks those things."

"They are healthy," Ren informed her, for what could easily be the hundredth time. "It's a blend of herbs and fruit designed to optimize nutritional intake. Adding sugar, or syrup, would only dilute it."

"I got this," Jaune said a lot more confidently then he felt and raised the glass of algae-like substance to his lips. He took a deep breath and began to drink it as fast as possible.

"Chug, chug, chug!" Ruby, Yang, Last Order, and Nora chanted. In only a few seconds, the drink disappeared and Jaune slammed the glass back down on the table. He blinked and then the taste hit him.

"Why does it burn!?" Jaune yelled and grabbed his soda. He started to chug it down too and Nora passed over a glass of water, which he gulped down desperately too. His face was turning slightly green and everyone around him scooted away slightly. He wobbled in his seat and then fell forward. A loud crash followed, as his head hit the table. "My insides…" Jaune moaned. "I'm dying…. Pyrrha, I leave all my comics to you and Nora."

"Don't die on us, Jaune!" Ruby cried out, as she stood up in panic.

"Big brother! MISAKA cries, as MISAKA identifies the face of one about to leave us." Last Order really took the role of Jaune's sister seriously, or she just really enjoyed acting. No one was quite sure, but a vein throbbed in Accelerator's head every time she called Jaune a brother.

"Last Order!" Jaune gasped. "I can only leave you advice…. Always keep your word… gak." His eyes closed and he fell silent. Pyrrha gasped and started to shake him and yell out his name. At first, she thought he was just being melodramatic.

"What is in this?" Yang asked, holding up the glass and sniffing it. She flinched.

"Keep it away," Blake coughed and held a hand to her nose. Her sense of smell was much greater than the others, being a Faunus and all. Yang handed it over to Weiss, who took it gingerly.

"What did Ren make?" she muttered to herself. "Arc may not be as strong as us, but Aura should prevent most poisons. His constitution is at least adequate."

"Ren's drinks are not for normal human consumption," Nora explained. "Last time I drank one, I was bedridden for a week." Weiss quickly sat the glass down.

"So Ren drinks poison?" Yang asked.

"It is not poison," Ren stated firmly, a slight scowl on his face. "While I admit it's not very sweet, there is nothing poisonous there. Everything in it is organic and filled with vitamins and nutrients. Jaune is just not used to eating that healthy and his body is reacting to the sudden change in diet."

"Drama queen," Accelerator muttered, but pushed the glass out of Last Order's reach. She obviously wanted to try it, regardless of the warnings. Jaune finally seemed to pull himself together and sat up, but his appetite vanished and he pushed his plate away. Nora happily finished it off.

"I've been wondering," Weiss spoke up and turned to Accelerator. "Last Order was given permission to join our classes while you were here. I assume you are going to accompany her. What I am surprised about was why Professor Ozpin was okay with it. Hunters and Huntresses have to go through a rigorous exam process to participate. You are strong, we saw that against Team CRDL, but how did the headmaster learn that?"

"He had that old woman put me through a couple tests," Accelerator yawned. Everyone else flinched.

"You really shouldn't call Goodwitch old," Ruby warned. "She can get pretty scary."

"What kind of tests?" Pyrrha asked. "Ours involved facing Grimm."

"Really big ones," Nora reminisced, as her eyes glazed over at the memory.

"They tried a few robots," Accelerator explained, but his boredom was evident. "But garbage like that couldn't tell them anything, so they brought in a group of students." A dark smile creeped onto his face. "It's how I learned a bit about what kind of punishment Aura can take."

"You lost, right?" Yang asked hopefully.

"You wish," Accelerator laughed. "Three of them couldn't do anything, but the forth one used the stuff you called dust. Have to say, that fight was rather interesting."

"How so?" Blake asked.

"The _magic_ you guys perform by combining dust with Aura reacts differently with my power," Accelerator replied. "Took a few moments to figure it out. Once I did, the fight turned boring."

"Fighting an individual that can reflect any attack would be tough," Pyrrha pointed out. "Even if you knew about it. Do you know which team you fought? None of us heard about a first year team fighting, so it was probably a second year-…"

"Third," Accelerator interrupted.

"Excuse me?"

"I heard them say they were a third year team," Accelerator corrected her, as he dug into his food. The rest of the group stared at him as he finished his coffee. He stared at his empty cup for a second, stood up, and headed back to get a refill.

"A third year team?" Jaune mouthed. "Dang, I knew he was tough, but to face an entire team?"

"I want to face him more than ever," Nora stated excitedly.

"I want to see him fight again too," Ruby added. "Then we can decide what kind of weapon he needs. Do you think he will participate in combat class tomorrow?"

"I doubt it," Weiss admitted. "He doesn't seem like the type to volunteer and we have no idea if Professor Goodwitch is going to ask him to."

"Okay," Yang said and slammed her hand on the table. "He actually seemed interested in dust, so we have to get him to want to face Weiss Queen here. She's the best one out of us with the stuff."

"I don't really want to face him," Weiss muttered.

"Because you have a crush on him," Yang mocked and Weiss glared at her.

"No, I saw what he did to Cardin's team and I'm not interested in being on the receiving end of that." However, Weiss's cheeks flushed ever so slightly, and it was notable on her pale skin. Yang's grin widened.

"I'll ask to face him," Nora volunteered.

"Hitting him harder is not going to work," Ren reminded her again.

"Pyrrha," Weiss suddenly said. "Didn't you mention you were interested in facing him?"

"I did," Pyrrha confirmed with a nod.

"So why not ask to challenge him?" Weiss continued.

"Hmm," Pyrrha mulled it over for a second. "Do you think he would accept?"

"No," Yang answered instead. "He wouldn't want to do anything like that. We have to trick him into wanting to. Which is why Weiss should face him with dust, but she doesn't want to accidently piss him off."

"That's not what I said," Weiss protested.

"But it's what you really meant." Before Weiss could refute Yang, Jaune spoke up.

"It should be easy enough," Jaune said and everyone stared at him. Ruby asked the important question.

"How?"

Jaune smiled and turned to Last Order. "Do you think you could ask him to face Pyrrha in our combat class?"

"MISAKA could, MISAKA admits, but he will most likely want to sleep through class." Jaune frowned in thought and Last Order continued. "MISAKA might be able to beg to see him face Pyrrha, MISAKA considers, as MISAKA begins to plan how to manipulate him. He won't go all out though."

"That's more than enough," Jaune reassured her.

"You are the greatest," Yang said and reached over to give Last Order a hug.

"It's up to you to bring fame to Team JNPR," Nora said to Pyrrha.

"I'll do my best," she replied.

"Hey, Blake," Weiss said and turned to their silent teammate. "You seem to be less talkative than usual." Blake's eyes darted over at Weiss, but Yang spoke up before she could.

"She's right. What's up Blakey? Steamy part in your story?"

"No," Blake answered and her eyes flickered back to where they were serving food. "I noticed the fact that Accelerator didn't go to the coffee area, but went into the back of the kitchen. Look, he's coming out now." They turned and saw Accelerator leaving the kitchen, sipping a full cup of coffee. He sat down and everyone stared at him.

"What?!" he snapped.

"You do know there's coffee over there?" Jaune asked and pointed. "You don't have to ask for it from the kitchen."

"That instant crap?" Accelerator asked. "Screw that. I'm picky about my coffee." He drank deeply. "It's the only way I'm going to be able to deal with all of you. I had to acquire some real stuff."

"They have non-instant coffee?" Weiss asked in shock and stared down at her own cup. Blake's bow twitched and she leaned forward slightly. Out of everyone in the group, those two loved coffee the most. Blake drank tea, sure, but she still enjoyed coffee. Instant was an affront to anyone who truly enjoyed coffee. "Why didn't they tell us?"

"Let me rephrase myself," Accelerator elaborated, almost mockingly. " _I_ have access to real coffee, Snow Angel." Weiss flinched at the name, but held her tongue. "As part of the deal for me to help out against the Grimm, while Ozpin finds a way to return us home, I get to enjoy the coffee your teachers drink."

Weiss's and Blake's mouth fell open.

"Can MISAKA have some? MISAKA asks."

"No." Last Order was hyper enough without the caffeine from the nectar of the gods. A cough from behind them caused everyone to turn to see Glynda standing there.

"Mr. Accelerator," Glynda said. "I have come to inform you about your sleeping arrangements. Many of our extra rooms are in the process of being cleaned and repaired due to the Vytal Festival being held in Vale this year, while extra furniture is limited due to the storage room being burn by Miss Valkyrie." Nora blushed, but seemed quite pleased with herself. "We did, however, find a spare cot available for immediate use."

"Whatever," Accelerator said and then pointed at Last Order. "What about the brat?"

"She can stay with us!" Ruby and Weiss volunteered.

"That depends on what her guardian decides," Glynda told those two, her gaze stern. They grew silent. "Mr, Arc?"

"Y-yes?"

"Would it be possible for Mr. Accelerator to room with your team?" Glynda asked. "He knows Team JNPR and RWBY the most out of anyone here, but your team is also coed."

"I don't have a problem with that," Jaune replied and then glanced at his team. "You guys cool with it?" One thing Jaune didn't like to do was volunteer their team without consent. Pyrrha and Ren nodded, while Nora gave a thumbs up. She actually looked happy about it.

"Excellent," Glynda replied and made a note on her clipboard. "Another cot will be prepared for Miss Order to use as she wishes." She glanced at the others. "Do take care and get some rest tonight, everyone. I plan to test you all thoroughly during class." Jaune groaned and Pyrrha patted his back. Glynda then slid two scrolls onto the table to Accelerator and Last Order. "These are your scrolls to be used during your stay. They will allow you two to communicate, since your own devices will not work in our world."

"Thank you, MISAKA says politely and gratefully."

"Good," Accelerator said and began to check it out. "I needed this."

"If you have any questions on how to operate your scrolls," Glynda continued. "You may ask any faculty member, but I'm sure the others will be able to assist you." Her eyes fell on the two teams. "Do you have any questions?"

"Nope! MISAKA replies, as MISAKA begins to acquire her new friends' numbers." Weiss was already showing her how to add her number and then Last Order moved to Ruby. Accelerator gave a short nod, but didn't say anything. Glynda understood his nonverbal signal and bid them farewell. After she was gone, Blake frowned and turned to the rest of them.

"Is it my imagination," Blake asked the others. "But did she seem to be sizing us up when she looked at us?"

"You're imagining things, Blakey," Yang laughed.

* * *

The following day, Last Order and Accelerator experienced their first day as Beacon students.

Unfortunately, Professor Peter Port's class was first.

After a brief welcome from the portly gentleman, Accelerator wanted to blow his brains out within five minutes. He had no idea how someone could make slaying monsters sound so boring. _Judging from everyone's reactions, this seems to be a usual occurrence. Red is drawing, the idiot, whore, and crazy girl are sleeping, princess, ninja, and Spartan are taking notes, of course they are, and the bookworm is reading, Most of the rest of the class isn't paying attention either, and I can't blame them. Who cares if he can use household items to kill Grimm?_ The only thing Accelerator paid attention to were the drawings of a couple Grimm and the slides. He recognized the Beowolves and Ursai he fought before and now he knew their names. There was one unusual occurrence in the class and it annoyed Accelerator, because everyone turned to look at the one person who actually seemed to be enthralled by the lecture.

Last Order kept raising her hand and asking questions.

Somehow, she not only was able to listen to the man putting an entire class of monster hunters to sleep, but she actually seemed to _enjoy_ the stories. People were actually more interested in her than the teacher. Her interest was never seen as a bother though, because Peter was more than happy to go off on a tangent and into even greater detail. Accelerator's head hit the desk and he purposely didn't reflect it in order to actually use the pain to keep himself awake. If he fell asleep, his ability wouldn't be able to protect him and his thoughts turned to Yang. She had been periodically flicking paper balls at him to see if his guard had been let down, when she wasn't sleeping. He sent them back right at her but, he hated to admit it, her reflexes were far greater than normal people and she caught them. At last, the bell rang and everyone jolted up in their seats.

"…and then I took the nail clippers and tennis racket-…" Peter ended abruptly. "We can pick up next time. For homework, compare the weak points of Alphas vs their normal counterpart." Last Order drooped and looked incredibly disappointed. Accelerator grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the door, preventing her from rushing to Peter's side for more stories. He must have caught her expression, because he chuckled loudly. "Do not fret, Miss Order. Should you ever find yourself lacking direction, feel free to visit me at my office. I will be more than happy to share more stories with such a bright young girl."

"Thank you! MISAKA calls back, as MISAKA waves goodbye, before being forcefully dragged out of class."

"Do not encourage him," Accelerator told her. "How you can enjoy that windbag is beyond me."

"His stories are amazing! MISAKA protests, as MISAKA waves her free arm wildly in agitation. Being able to use a tub of grease to slide down the throat of a King Taijitu and save a boy before-…"

"No," Accelerator interrupted and shushed her. "We are not going to talk about that old fat man greasing himself up, ever again."

"Please don't," Weiss agreed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "It's going to take a week before I forget that." Pyrrha and Blake nodded, both looking slightly sick. Yang had been too busy trying to antagonize Accelerator, Ruby had been drawing, and Nora had been sleeping for them to be traumatized by the story. Blake had accidently heard it due to her keen senses. Jaune and Ren were the least affected by it, even though only one had been paying attention.

"Next class is combat," Jaune informed Last Order and Accelerator. "Goodwitch is the instructor there and we spar against each other."

"And Jauney boy always loses!" Cardin called out, as his team passed them.

"Shut it, Cardin," Yang called out. "Or I'll kick your entire team's butt as bad as Accelerator did yesterday!" Their faces paled slightly and they quickly moved further away from the others. "Hah, bunch of cowards, all of them."

"Don't worry, Jaune," Ruby reassured him. "You will beat him one day and then you can have the last laugh."

"You get him under fifty percent now," Pyrrha added, snapping back to the present. "When you first fought, you could barely touch him."

"I just wish I could improve faster and get him to stop bullying people," Jaune sighed. "He's been better, but he's still acting like a…" He trailed off.

"A jerk?" Blake filled in. "You have to accept life is full of those kinds of people. Don't let them get to you."

"One day you will show him why you are our Fearless Leader," Nora said and smacked Jaune in the back without enough force to knock him down. "Oops! Sorry, Jaune-Jaune."

"It's fine, Nora," Jaune sighed and pushed himself back up.

"What Nora is trying to say," Ren translated. "Is that you have many redeeming qualities Cardin has not been able to see."

"Because he has a rock for a brain," Yang pointed out.

"Thanks, guys," Jaune said to the others.

"You are having trouble with someone like him?" Accelerator asked incredulously. "He's just a muscle head. Charges straightforward without thinking." He yawned. "Reminds me of someone," his eyes fell on Yang.

"Who could that be?" Yang asked and narrowed her eyes.

"No idea, probably someone unimportant." Accelerator grinned, as a vein twitched in her head and he turned back to Jaune. "Just watch out for that fire explosion and a toddler could beat him."

"It's a fire dust crystal in his mace," Weiss informed Accelerator. "Should only be a onetime use attack, due to his lack of control. It's barbaric and an insult to dust users everywhere."

"You are a dust user, right? MISAKA asks."

"Yes," Weiss confirmed. "My weapon is designed to fuse dust into my attacks and I can create glyphs using dust too." Her eyes traveled to Accelerator. "If you are lucky, you might get to observe me fight." Accelerator rolled his eyes.

"It takes a lot to impress me, Snow Angel."

"Will you knock that off!?"

"Didn't think that nickname would spread," Jaune muttered to his team. Ren and Nora looked at each other, but Pyrrha looked slightly hopeful.

 _If Weiss and Accelerator get together, Jaune might forget about chasing after her._ Pyrrha knew this was selfish, and she didn't like this small part of herself, but she didn't know what Jaune saw in Weiss. She was mean to him and insulted him constantly. Weiss had many good points, including willing to help others with their problems if asked. She might complain, but there was an icy exterior you had to get through to know the real Weiss. Pyrrha just wished Jaune would turn his affections to her.

"Arc!" Weiss snapped. "If you call me that name again, I will freeze everything between your legs off." Jaune squeaked and turned away, protecting his family jewels. Accelerator chuckled under his breath. It amused him how easy the largest among them cowers at any girl who glared at him. They reached their next class and he sat down next to Last Order, who had immediately grabbed a seat next to Weiss. Jaune and Pyrrha were behind him, while Ruby and Yang sat in front of him. His eyes fell onto Glynda, who was standing in front of the room with her arms crossed, waiting for everyone to file in.

 _Great,_ Accelerator sighed. _She's so annoying. Strict and will probably try to reprimand me for using 'fowl' language or 'clearing trash' like the fucker, Cardin._ He put his elbow on the table in front of him and propped up his head to watch the other students kick the crap out of each other. _At least she's straightforward, unlike that bastard Ozpin. He is just like those scientists back in Academy City, says one thing but plans to do another. I bet these scrolls allow him to spy on us… speak of the devil._ His eyes narrowed as Ozpin stepped in, sipping his coffee. The students began to discuss this occurrence in hushed whispers, so Accelerator knew Ozpin didn't regularly attend classes. _He's watching me, isn't he?_

"Settle down," Glynda ordered and everyone instantly grew silent. She didn't even have to shout. "Today's combat class will be slightly different, per the Headmaster's suggestion." She gestured to Ozpin, who stepped forward.

"Hunters and Huntresses are expected to perform a wide variety of tasks," Ozpin explained and his eyes traveled over each student. "Sometimes your briefings will encompass everything you will encounter, and sometimes you will be required to think on your feat. We, at Beacon, strive to stress the importance of experiencing new things, and as such we give you all a certain degree of freedom. While a significant portion of your lives after Beacon will be fighting Grimm, there may be times when you are also required to face off against human opponents." There was some more muttering. "That is one of the reasons we have you spar against each other. It also gives you a chance to practice and for us to monitor your progress. However, sparing against the same opponents will only breed familiarity. Familiarity breeds complacency, and the one thing Hunters can't be is complacent. When we become complacent, we stop growing and become susceptible to surprises. As such, I proposed a new method to your sparring, which will start to take place randomly throughout the rest of the year. Glynda." He nodded toward her.

"Starting today, your matches will be slightly different," Glynda announced to the class. "You won't be fighting one on one. You will either be fighting in pairs, or against multiple opponents." Muttering began to start again and she silenced them with a single sentence. "The pairs will not consist of your partners." The room grew quiet, but Jaune was the most shocked. His mouth fell open and Pyrrha tried to give him an encouraging smile. Glynda looked down at her clipboard. "First match will be, Miss Belladonna and Mr. Ren versus, Miss Valkyrie and Miss Xiao-Long." Blake and Ren had just stood up when her announcement caused them to freeze. They turned to each other, a look of horror on their faces. The other group was the complete opposite.

"Woo!" Nora cheered and high fived Yang as they stood up. "Best team up ever!"

"You said it!" Yang replied, equally as ecstatic. She turned to her partner. "Sorry, Blakey. You hold the number one partner in my heart, but this is Nora. We are going to smash everything!"

"I'll survive," Blake replied dryly, more worried about the two of them going a little too far.

"I'll try not to break your legs, Ren!" Nora promised. "But accidents happen. Don't worry though, Nurse Nora will take care of everything if they do." She looked slightly guilty at fighting her best friend and partner with another person.

"I appreciate the concern," Ren reassured her. A half dozen escape plans swam through his mind on how to avoid Nurse Nora. The last time she tried to nurse him, he was bedridden two weeks longer than he should have.

"Good luck, man," Jaune whispered as Ren passed by. He gave a short nod to let Jaune know he heard. The four chosen left the room to get changed into their combat gear.

"Who do you think is going to win?" Ruby asked the others excitedly. "I have to root for Yang, but what do you guys think?"

"I think it will be Yang and Nora," Weiss declared. "Ren doesn't have the stamina for a prolonged fight and both Yang and Nora can take a hit. Blake will be able to last for a while, but one good hit will probably restrict her movements."

"I think so too," Pyrrha agreed. "Yang and Nora just have to outlast. Ren and Blake will be forced to double team one of them and then that leaves the last person to strike them."

"MISAKA hopes they all do well, MISAKA says, as MISAKA tries to wait patiently for the match, but is too eager to sit still."

"I don't think it will be that easy," Jaune said and everyone turned to him.

"This will be good," Weiss scoffed. "Why, pray tell, do you think that?"

"I feel there's more to this than Goodwitch and Ozpin are letting on," Jaune whispered. "Besides, team battles are always more complicated than individual ones. Teamwork can play a big factor." Weiss raised an eyebrow at him and Ruby frowned.

"Huh," Pyrrha mulled his words over for a moment. She had mainly fought in one on one tournament, so teams were a new concept to her until she entered Beacon. The few group fights her team had done did teach her there was a difference between fighting together and fighting as a team. "You bring up a good point, Jaune," Pyrrha said impressed. "Ren and Blake might be able to develop a strategy while fighting. Yang and Nora will most likely just try to attack hard and fast." They didn't notice, but Ozpin smiled slightly from his position.

"I can't wait," Ruby squealed. "This will be great." When their friends finally emerged from the locker rooms, she waved at them. "Good luck, all of you!" She turned to Accelerator. "Got any ideas on who will win?"

"It's not like I know their abilities," he answered with a yawn. "I already know what Aura is capable of, so wake me when it's time to leave." He was about to fall asleep, when Last Order shook his arm.

"Please watch MISAKA's friends practice, MISAKA pleads, as MISAKA develops tears in her eyes." Accelerator glared at her for a moment, sighed, and sat up a little bit straighter. Last Order turned around and winked at Ruby, who grinned back, even if she was jealous of the power of Last Order's sad face.

"Ready?" Glynda asked, and turned toward both teams. Yang and Nora gave a thumbs up, while Blake and Ren stopped talking in hushed whispers before they nodded. "Alright, you may begin."

Predictably, Yang and Nora charged forward. Nora wielded her large two handed hammer, Magnhild, while Yang's golden gauntlets, Ember Celica, cocked into place. Nora charged straight at Ren and Yang rushed at Blake. Ren and Blake jumped backwards pulled out their guns, and unleashed a barrage of gunfire. Yang merely raised her gauntlets to shield her face and continued forward. Nora slowed down slightly, because of the time to adjust her hammer to block some of the bullets, but then swung her weapon downwards. Blake and Ren were forced to retreat to the sides to avoid being squashed and Yang took the opportunity to deliver a punch at Blake. Her fist made contact for a second, and then caused the clone to vanish. Yang turned to see Blake putting room between them, when she felt a hail of gunfire on her back.

"Ow!" Yang turned to see Ren lowering his guns. He had a free second during the time Nora was pulling her hammer out of the ground. "Nora!" Yang shouted. "Don't give Ren an opening while I grab Blake!"

"On it!" Nora shouted back and charged at Ren, as she swung her hammer. Ren was forced to duck and weave, while keeping a safe distance from her. Logic dictated he should close in to prevent her wide swings and strike with his blades, but experience told him otherwise. Nora was actually really skilled in close combat. Removing the distance would end up with the handle of her hammer in his head. Instead, while dodging, he was slowly moving toward Blake. Yang kept firing shotgun blasts from her gauntlets at Blake, but missing. Blake was far too nimble to get hit at that range. Yang had to close in and she knew it. Frustrated, she rushed forward and kept trying to hit Blake. Her partner kept dodging by a hair's breadth and, to make matters worse, she wasn't trying to strike back. Yang's attack slowly became wilder to try to get a hit in. Blake noticed Ren closing in out of the corner of her eye and she made a very subtle hand motion.

Ren caught it and stepped to the right, away from Nora, but within range of a large swing. Nora did not fail to notice and lifted her hammer over her shoulder. She then proceeded to swing it in a horizontal arc at Ren. For a brief moment, his life flashed before his eyes, as he was fully aware of the power Nora wielded, even with her small body. He ducked, and felt the hammer graze his hair. Everything moved in slow motion at that point. Ren rolled out of the way, as Blake leaped high into the air, above Nora's hammer. Yang's eyes widen in shock, as her demise became imminent. Blake had led her into the path of Nora's hammer. Because of the wild and reckless attacks, Yang had not been paying attention. Her momentum from the last punch carried her forward and she had no opportunity to dodge. Nora's eyes widen when she felt the contact.

Nora's hammer crashed directly into Yang's stomach.

"Oomph!" Yang gasped, as the force of the swing lifted her up into the air and sent her flying. She flew out of the ring and smashed into a wall, leaving a significant hole.

"Sorry, Yang!" Nora cried out. "I swear I didn't mean to!"

"Miss Xiao-Long has been knocked out of the arena," Glynda announced.

"Did anyone catch the license plate of the truck that hit me?" Yang asked groggily.

"It's Sloth!" Nora answered and turned, to see a black ribbon moving in front of her. Before she could react, the ribbon wrapped around her legs. Ren and Blake pulled on each end and the ribbon tightened, snapping Nora's legs together. The sudden change caused her to wobble and fall forward. She hit the ground and let go of her hammer. In an instant, Blake and Ren were on top of her to unleash a barrage of blows from their blades, until the buzzer went off, signaling Nora's aura had been depleted.

"Miss Valkyrie's aura has hit the red," Glynda announced. "The winners are Miss Belladonna and Mr. Ren." Ren sheathed his weapons and helped Nora out of Blake's weapon's ribbon. Blake had gone to check on Yang. Glynda checked to make sure everyone was okay and then turned to the class. "Now, as you can see, raw power does not equate to victory. Mrs. Belladonna and Mr. Ren magnificently used their opponents' strength against each other."

"Did they know about this ahead of time?" Yang asked. "They were working way to well together for a random pairing."

"Ren!" Nora cried, tears flowing from her eyes. "Have you been searching for a new partner when my back was turned?"

"We created a few simple hand signs before the fight started," Blake explained to Yang. "So we knew when to move."

"I could never replace you, Nora," Ren said. "No one has your unique presence."

"Aww, Ren!" Nora cried and hugged him, crushing his ribs with her absurd strength. Yang got the idea and started walking toward her partner.

"Come here, Blakey," Yang said slowly. "Let's make up, too."

"I'm good," Blake replied and kept backing up.

"If you four would vacate the arena," Glynda said sternly with a cough. They jumped and took their seats. Ozpin nodded to them as they sat down. "Next group fighting will be Miss Rose and Mr. Arc, versus Miss Schnee and Mr. Winchester."

"Good luck, sis," Yang said to Ruby. "Vomit Boy, you better not let her down."

"There's no need to worry," Ruby reassured Yang. "Jaune and I got this."

"I would prefer a more civilized partner," Weiss scoffed. "But I'm not planning to lose."

"We got this, yeah," Jaune muttered.

"What's wrong?" Pyrrha asked.

"For a second, I was afraid it was going to be us versus you and Weiss," Jaune admitted. "That scared me to death." Pyrrha looked surprised and then chuckled.

"Going to end up the same way as always, Jauney Boy," Cardin laughed from a couple rows below him, before making his way to the locker room.

"Just ignore him," Nora told Jaune. "Go out, have fun, and maybe break his legs."

"Or just beat him," Ren suggested. "That will hurt his pride more than anything else."

"MISAKA wishes all of you the best, MISAKA says, as MISAKA is torn between rooting for all of her friends."

"It's a spar," Ruby reassured her. "We fight, one of us wins, and then we go back to being friends and eat lunch." Ruby and Jaune left the room and the others turned to each other.

"So," Yang asked. "Bets? Mine's on Ruby."

"Naturally," Blake said and rolled her eyes, as she pulled out a book. "It's going to be close."

"Because Jaune isn't quite up to Weiss and Cardin's level?" Yang asked.

"Jaune's just as good as those two!" Nora snapped. Ren put a hang on her shoulder.

"No one is doubting Jaune's skills." Ren kept his voice calm and passive. "He is working hard and has come a long way. However, Cardin has shown he holds the advantage, even if it is only slightly, and Weiss's dust skills are difficult for him to face. Ruby is fast, but she can get caught in ice with one wrong move."

"What do you think P-money?" Yang asked. "Does Vomit Boy and my sis got this, or what?"

"At first glance," Pyrrha informed them slowly. "I think Weiss and Cardin have the advantage." Yang and Nora opened their mouths, but Pyrrha kept talking. "However, like the last fight taught us, strategy can make up for the difference in raw power. Jaune and Ruby are team leaders and are used to coming up with plans. We will have to see if they can work together that way." She tilted her head slightly. "Do you think the pairings this time were a little, balanced? Unlike the first round." The others pondered her words for a moment, before Blake spoke up.

"Jaune and Cardin are front line fighters and are used to taking blows."

"While Weiss is better with range and control," Ren continued. "And Ruby's used to hit and run tactics. Neither of them are very good at receiving blows."

"Huh," Yang muttered and crossed her arms. "So, what? The victor is going to be determined by how well each team can maximize their strengths?"

"Jaune and Ruby are definitely going to win then," Nora said. "Weiss and Cardin won't get along at all."

"I think so too," Pyrrha agreed. "But the winner isn't settled until the final blow."

"One person has been oddly quiet," Yang spoke up and turned to Accelerator. Everyone turned toward him. "What did you think after seeing our match?"

"I was wondering if you still have a stomach ache," Accelerator replied. Everyone except Yang chuckled.

"Very funny," Yang said sarcastically. "It was a real _gut_ -wrenching blow." Everyone remained silent. "Pssh, you guys just can't _stomach_ a good joke." They booed this time and Accelerator launched a notepad at her. Ozpin sipped at his coffee as he watched the students discuss the matches, now trying to think in greater detail than they had at the start. It wasn't obvious to them, but the matches were not random. Each one had a specific purpose.

 _Everything is going according to plan. I hope Mr. Arc and Miss Rose will show me what I need to know._

Eventually, Ruby, Jaune, Cardin, and Weiss remerged and made their way into the wing. Cardin was in full armor, his mace slung over his shoulder, and looked confident. Weiss was staying a good distance away from him, her rapier, Myrtenaster, attached to her hip. Ruby held her beloved Crescent Rose in its gun form, halfway concealed by her red cloak. Jaune had dawned his chest plate and spaulders. His armor didn't cover nearly as much as Cardin's, which gave him greater maneuverability, but reduced defense. His sword was still sheathed. The two teams took their places on either side of the arena. Weiss and Ruby pulled out their weapons and held them by their side. Jaune unsheathed his sword and the sheath transformed into a shield. Glynda looked at both teams, waiting for an affirmative they were ready. When everyone nodded, she raised her riding crop.

"You may begin!"

Cardin was the first one to move and charged forward. He delivered an overhead swing with his mace at Jaune, who just managed to get his shield raised up in time. "Oomph," Jaune grunted, as he felt the force of the blow reverberate through his arms. At least he managed to stand his ground, unlike the first time they had ever fought. Pyrrha's training was really coming in handy.

"That all you got, Jauney Boy?" Cardin asked. "At least make this entertaining."

"On your right, Jaune!" Ruby called out, as the red blur zipped past him toward Cardin. Her gun shifted and transformed into a large, intimidating scythe. Last Order cheered in excitement and even Accelerator raised an eyebrow. It wasn't common for a little girl to wield a giant piece of farm equipment. Ruby would get upset if he said that out loud though. The blade of the scythe made its way toward Cardin, but was deflected by a sudden wall of ice. Weiss had used her dust to prevent Ruby from closing in to help Jaune. "Weiss!"

"You should stop broadcasting your attacks," Weiss stated calmly, as a large white glyph appeared behind her. She raised Myrtenaster and then was propelled forward, without having to run. Her glyph allowed her to accelerate, without physical exertion. This was something Accelerator could appreciate, as his power allowed him to do something similar. If the target had not been Ruby, Weiss's speed would have easily allowed her to hit them, but Ruby managed to just avoid it with her own insane speed. Weiss wasn't able to turn after her, since that was the downside to her glyph propulsion. Weiss skidded to a stop and turned around to stare at Ruby.

"Looks like you're all alone," Cardin laughed and swung his mace again. Jaune raised his shield, but deflected the blow to his side, rather than blocking it outright. Seeing a moment of opportunity, Jaune swung his blade at Cardin, but it was deflected with the handle of the mace. Jaune could see Cardin preparing another blow and he leaped backwards to put some space between them. In a contest of pure strength, Cardin would easily overwhelm him. Jaune managed to avoid the mace and kept backing up. After about five feet away, Jaune noticed a grin on Cardin's face and remembered Cardin's fight with Accelerator. The mace slammed on the ground and the top opened, to unleash a torrent of flames. Jaune's experience with the dust crystal in Cardin's weapon saved him, as he dove to the side, skidding on his shield. He scrambled to his feet and made a quick decision.

While the boys were fighting, the two girls began to increase their blows at much faster speeds. Ruby kept disappearing and reappearing in a flutter of rose petals, but she either found herself blocked by a glyph or about to get impaled by the end of Weiss's rapier. While Ruby was faster, she still had one major weakness. She was younger than the others and tended to keep using the same attack patterns, because she was used to them. Weiss had been her partner long enough to know what those patterns entailed, so she could easily read them. Weiss, on the other hand, adapted her precision style blows to meet her opponent. Ruby's scythe hit a glyph fused with gravity dust, so it bounced away and Weiss pulled back her rapier to deliver a barrage of quick and agile blows. Ruby released she was in the air, defenseless. Then out of the corner of Weiss's eye, she saw a slight movement, and then a gleam of metal. Warning alarms went off in her head and she turned.

Weiss barely managed to deflect Jaune's blade from hitting her in the side.

"Cardin!" Weiss yelled. "Get your useless form over here and help!"

"Switch!" Jaune shouted at Ruby, who only hesitated for a fraction of a second, before disappearing and aiming her scythe at the back of Cardin's head. He had just stood up and started to move to help, but he couldn't keep up with Ruby's speed. Jaune may not have been able to defeat Weiss on his own, but his endurance could keep her preoccupied while Ruby handled Cardin. The crowd cheered, booed, and shouted advice, but none of the students fighting were paying attention to them. They were purely focused on their opponents. Jaune swung his sword again, but Weiss parried it mechanically. She jabbed him twice and he winced at the pain, before his Aura began to dull it.

"That was foolish," Weiss told him, as he blocked another blow.

"What can I say?" Jaune answered with a smile. "I'm just a fool."

"Yes, yes you are," Weiss agreed and a slight smirk formed on her lips, as Jaune heard the dust containers click into place. He dreaded that sound, because it indicated he was about to be frozen or burned. Weiss stepped back to put a little bit of room between them and raised her rapier. Jaune, in panic, did the only thing his body instinctively warned him might work. He stepped forward and shield bashed. Weiss was expecting a sword strike, not for Jaune to lumber forward with his entire weight. His shield smashed into her small body, backed by all of his weight. She stumbled backwards with him virtually on top of her and her Aura accidently ignited the dust in her rapier.

Both of them were engulfed by an explosion.

"Jaune!" Ruby cried. Even Cardin lowered his mace as he turned and looked. Jaune flew out of the cloud of smoke and fire, before landing on the ground and skidding to a stop. His sword and shield had flown out of his hands.

"Ow," he groaned. "That hurt like hell." He blinked and shook the buzzing out of his ears. The smoke cleared and he saw Weiss laying on the ground, struggling to get up. Myrtenaster was on the ground about ten feet away from her. Her Aura was almost in the red, while Jaune's was still solidly in the yellow. Cardin's and Ruby's were still green, though Ruby's was slightly higher. Jaune met Ruby's eyes with his own. "Guess, I'm the one who exploded this time," he chuckled. Ruby had to work to suppress her own laughs.

"Cardin, what are you waiting for!?" Weiss demanded. "Don't stop pressuring them!" She started to make her way toward her weapon and Jaune rushed to his feet. He couldn't make it to Weiss in time and he didn't want to warn her. He needed Ruby to do it on her own. Cardin looked between Jaune and Ruby, and decided to go for the greater threat. This gave Jaune the opportunity he needed, but he prayed Ruby would understand his words.

"Crater Face!" Jaune yelled. "It's time to prove her wrong!" His words caused everyone to turn toward him for a second. Ruby, Weiss, Cardin, and everyone in the stands tried to figure out why he said what he said. That one second delay for the others to reach their weapons was all the time he needed. Jaune ran forward to Cardin, who immediately swung his mace at Ruby. Ruby and Jaune locked eyes for an instant. Right before Cardin's mace hit Ruby, Jaune intercepted the blow. Without a shield or sword, his body took the full force of Cardin's swing. Ruby then disappeared, leaving only a cloud of petals. Weiss, who was one foot away from her weapon, stopped when a foot kicked Myrtenaster away.

"Sorry, Weiss," Ruby apologized and brought Crescent Rose down. The buzzer went off and Ruby glanced at the aura levels.

"Mr. Arc and Miss Schnee have both entered the red," Glynda declared. This only left Ruby and Cardin alone in the arena. Ruby had the slight advantage in Aura, but one hit from Cardin would easily change that. Cardin's team was shouting out encouragements, but Ruby ignored them. She had her own friends cheering for her.

"Get him, sis!" Yang yelled.

"Break his legs!" That was obviously Nora.

"You're weapon is so cool! MISAKA calls out encouragingly." Ruby made a note to share a cookie with Last Order, after she got them back.

"I won't let Jaune's sacrifice be in vain!" Ruby declared.

"I'm still alive, Rubes," Jaune told her from the edge of the arena.

"Shush, you!" Ruby told him. "Quit ruining my moment."

"Get a room," Cardin growled and swung his mace at Ruby. He had already used up his fire dust crystal, so she didn't have to worry about a sudden flame attack. She dodged the blow and used the longer reach of her own weapon to strike Cardin's shoulders. It didn't seem to do much, but his Aura began to tick down. Cardin grew angrier and kept swinging at her, but she kept managing to dodge. This led to the blows becoming wilder and wilder as anger over took him. Ruby finally realized something and disappeared in a flurry of rose petals. Cardin stopped and looked around to locate her. She had appeared on the far side of the ring, her scythe now in gun mode, and she was grinning.

Cardin didn't have a range weapon anymore.

The battle ended a minute later.

Ruby was faster than Cardin and all she had to do was blast him safely from a distance. There was nothing he could do to stop her. Sure, he could block a bullet or two with his mace but, unlike Jaune and his giant shield, there was limits to how well that could work. It wasn't like he could follow the bullet's trajectory, which Ruby believed people like Blake and Ren could easily do. She managed to hit Cardin with around seventy-five percent of the rounds she fired and it eventually took him into the red.

"The match is over," Glynda declared and gestured to the board. "The winners are Miss Rose and Mr. Arc." She turned to Cardin. "Mr. Winchester, you and Miss Schnee had the advantage, but you decided to waste your ammunition on a flashy attack early on, and it cost you. Not only did you allow Mr. Arc to assist Miss Rose, you also left yourself open to Miss Rose's range assault. Learning when and when not to attack is an important lesson for any Hunter." She turned to Weiss. "Miss Schnee, you cooperated with Mr. Winchester early on, but then you two started to fight separately, instead of together." Weiss nodded stiffly. Glynda turned to Ruby and Jaune. "Besides what we have talked about in class regarding your individual performances," Ruby and Jaune hung their heads, "you two fought admirably. Well done." Jaune and Ruby high fived.

"What was with the Crater Face name?" Yang asked Jaune, the moment they took their seats. Jaune glanced at Ruby, who shook her head frantically. He knew why. Ruby didn't want Yang to have any more ammo against her.

"Inside joke," Jaune answered vaguely. "But it let Ruby know she needed to take Weiss down. If she had gotten her weapon, they could have taken me down quickly and then ganged up on Ruby."

"Humph," Weiss scoffed. "You only got me because of dumb luck and my partner was horrible. He just did his own thing."

"Quit being a poor sport," Blake told her. "Just be happy that our friends performed well." Weiss crossed her arms and went silent.

"It was so cool how you jumped and blocked Cardin's blow so Ruby could take down Weiss," Nora said excitedly to Jaune. "That is why you are our Fearless Leader."

"A very brave, but smart move," Ren agreed.

"It was a gamble," Pyrrha pointed out. "What if Ruby didn't know what you meant?"

"I trusted she would," Jaune said with a shrug. "If I told her to go for Weiss outright, Cardin and Weiss would have been prepared."

"True," Pyrrha agreed.

"But didn't it hurt to be hit by that giant mace directly in the chest? MISAKA asks worried, as MISAKA pokes your chest because you seem to be fine." Jaune laughed and patted her head.

"As long as our Aura isn't completely depleted," Jaune explained. "It absorbs most of the impact and then heals the damage that managed to get through. It's why we can spar like this without issue."

"So it's like a force field? MISAKA asks excitedly." Everyone around her, except Accelerator snickered. Pyrrha had to restrain herself from laughing out loud, because she remembered that was exactly how Jaune first described Aura.

"Exactly," Jaune confirmed.

"Oh," Yang said and turned to Accelerator. "What did you think of this match?"

"Only Snow Angel over there did anything remotely interesting," Accelerator said bored. "Those symbols in the air, what were they?'

"My Semblance allows me to create Glyphs," Weiss explained again, torn between irritation at the name and pride that Accelerator, who avoided any kind of compliments, thought her skills were interesting. "Their use only depends on my imagination and the dust available. I can use them to shield, act as platforms, add elements to attacks, limited time dilation, and more."

"Time dilation?" Accelerator asked, and there was the first sign of true interest. "Didn't think Chronon manipulation was possible." Before any of them could ask what Chronons were, Glynda spoke up.

"Next," Glynda said and the class went quiet. "Let's have Miss Nikos against… hmm, this might be problematic." She looked up. "I was planning to have you face off against the remaining members of Team CRDL, but two of them are still not recovered from their training accident yesterday." Team RWBY and JNPR all smiled, while Accelerator just looked smug. "So, Miss Nikos, you can have a pass today."

"Wait!" shouted Yang. "How about she spars against him?" She pointed at Accelerator.

"Huh?" Accelerator asked irritated. "Why would I do that?"

"It would be fun," Nora explained. "Pyrrha's the best in the year, so the fight should be awesome."

"Again, why would I want to?"

"As Mr. Accelerator is not technically a student," Glynda told them. "He is not obligated to participate-…"

"However," Ozpin interrupted. "If he wishes, I would allow it. New experiences are a necessity for Hunters and Huntresses, so I have no problems with this match in a controlled environment."

"Fine," Glynda sighed and it looked like she was getting a massive migraine. "If Mr. Accelerator is willing, that is." She obviously figured Accelerator wouldn't want to.

"Good, because I don't want to," Accelerator snapped and put his head down on the table.

"Don't be like that, Grumpy," Yang laughed. "Go out there and show us what you are made of."

"Bite me."

"Kinky, maybe later though." Accelerator glared at her.

"You're up," Jaune whispered to Last Order, while Ruby grinned. Last Order nodded and tugged on Accelerator's sleeve.

"MISAKA really wants to see you spar against Pyrrha in a non-life or death situation, MISAKA begs, as MISAKA uses her secret weapon." Her expression grew somber and her eyes widened. Accelerator glanced at her and turned away.

"Answer's still no, brat."

"Pleeeassseee, MISAKA continues to beg, as MISAKA adds a note of desperation in her voice."

"Do you think this will work?" Blake asked Ren quietly.

"Our friends are very persuasive," Ren replied and Blake nodded.

"Come on, Accelerator," Ruby said. "Show us that power you used to smack Cardin's team around." Team CRDL flinched below them and decided to remain quiet.

"Maybe he's scared," Yang suggested and the air suddenly grew colder as Accelerator slowly turned toward her. "He brags about how tough he is, but I bet he believes he can't win."

"What did you say, bitch?" Accelerator hissed. Ruby covered her ears.

"Maybe you aren't so tough," Yang challenged.

"That's enough, Yang," Pyrrha reprimanded. "If he doesn't want to, we can't force him."

"Aww," Nora cried. "I wanted to see the match for the ages. Ren, make him want to fight."

"Nora," Ren sighed. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"Use your weird natural herbs to cloud his mind?" Ren shook his head.

"Please? MISAKA asks again quietly." Accelerator looked at her, turned to Team RWBY and JNPR, and then his eyes traveled over the rest of the class, before he locked onto Ozpin. He was watching intently, with a slight smirk.

 _He set this up so I would fight?_ Accelerator realized. _Thought he already saw me beat those other losers?_ Ozpin's plan was a mystery to him, but he would play his game, for now. He sighed, stood up and stretched. "Fine, I'll do it."

"Yes!" Ruby, Last Order, Nora, and Yang cheered. Jaune grinned and high fived Last Order for her assistance.

"After I win," Accelerator added. "I'm throwing the bimbo's bed into the forest." He jabbed a thumb at Yang, while the rest of the class gasped. Yang's eyes flashed red for a moment, before laughing.

"That would be destruction of school property," Glynda informed him. "You would be required to reimburse us for it."

"Good luck in beating P-Money though," Yang retorted. Accelerator scoffed and headed down the stairs.

"Good luck! MISAKA wishes."

"I don't need luck." Accelerator waited in the ring, while Pyrrha changed into her armor and retrieved her weapon.

"You know," Blake said to Yang. "If he wins, your bed is going to disappear."

"Still worth it," Yang dismissed. "Besides, I can always sleep with my partner until I get a new one."

"No," Blake replied.

"What? Blakey?!"

"You dug yourself into a hole," Blake replied calmly. "Get out yourself."

"Humph," Yang pouted and crossed her arms. "Be that way. Ruby will let me sleep with her."

"Nope," Ruby exclaimed, accenting the p.

"Ruby! We're sisters and have shared a bed plenty of times!"

"That's when I learned my lesson!" Ruby cried back. "You kick me out of the bed and even punched me once!"

"I guess that leaves-…" Yang muttered.

"Don't even think about it," Weiss interrupted.

"Traitors, all of you!"

"What do you think the outcome will be?" Jaune asked Ren. "Normally, I would assume Pyrrha would win easily, but Accelerator is rather strong."

"Pyrrha won't use pure physical strength like Nora…," Ren replied.

"I know it will work," Nora protested. "It never let me down yet."

"It won't MISAKA tries to explain, as MISAKA shakes her head frantically. It will only cause you to hurt yourself."

"…and she has a rough idea of what his power can do," Ren continued. "Most likely, she will probe his defenses to figure out a way to bypass them. Shame Pyrrha isn't a dust user. Accelerator did mention that seems to actually be hard for him to counter."

"We know that," Weiss interrupted. "Pyrrha volunteered to test our theory."

"Oh?" Nora asked. "What happened? Tell us!"

"Last night," Weiss explained softly, so Accelerator in the arena wouldn't catch word of it. "I mixed some dust and gave it to Pyrrha. It should give her the advantage, even if Accelerator doesn't use weapons or armor."

"Huh?" Jaune asked. "Is it going to turn his clothes into metal or something?"

"Don't be stupid," Weiss sniffed.

"So," Yang said slyly. "You and Pyrrha are trying to figure out how to beat him without me?"

"I don't believe anyone is invincible," Weiss explained quickly. "I simply wanted to figure out what his weakness was."

"I bet once you find it," Yang continued. "You are going to challenge him to a duel and demand he goes out with you if you win." Yang wagged her finger. "You're such a naughty girl, Weissy."

"W-what…?" spluttered Weiss. "I never… preposterous… mind in gutter!"

"Digging the hole deeper, Yang," Blake muttered and turned back to her book. The protagonist was a young male, who reminded her of the one guy she met a few days ago, and was about to enter the bedroom of a quiet, book loving princess.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **Next chapter: In one corner we have the Goddess of Victory herself, Pyrrha Nikos. On the other, Accelerator, the One Way Road! The duel between Opposites Attract is about to commence. What on earth could Weiss have made to give Pyrrha the advantage? Will it be effective?**

 **Current Ship Names:**

 **Yang and Touma: Fistbump / Punchline/ Imagine Dragon**

 **Weiss and Touma: Cool To The Touch / Princess and the Pauper / Shattered Mirror**

 **Ruby and Touma: Blossoming / Thorny Rose / Speedy Rescue**

 **Blake and Touma: Nine Lives / Bad Luck / Kami-Nyaan**

 **Velvet and Touma: Bunny Couple / Rabbit's Foot**

 **Penny and Touma: Android's Dream / Faulty Electronics**

 **Ren and Touma: Lotus Fist**

 **Jaune and Touma: Better Luck Next Time**

 **Nora and Touma: Glutton for Punishment / Divine Sparks**

 **Pyrrha and Touma: Babe Magnet**

 **Coco and Touma: Black Coffee**

 **Glynda and Touma: Teacher's Pet / Promise Lands**

 **Adam and Touma: Chronic Crusaders**

 **Emerald and Touma: Shattered Illusions / Illusion Breaker / Portmanteau Poverty**

 **Twins and Touma: Triple Threat / Cerberus**

 **Cinder and Touma: Through the Fire and Flame / Fire Demons / Sinner and Savior**

 **Neo and Touma: Uncertain Flavor / Breaking Reality**

 **Salem and Touma: Burning Witch / Light and Shadow / Shattering Darkness**

 **Accelerator and Weiss: Cold and Calculating / Ice Vector / A Frosty Reception**

 **Accelerator and Yang: Road Rage / Short Fuse / Way of the Dragon**

 **Accelerator and Ruby: One-Way Rose / No Brakes / Rose Manipulation**

 **Accelerator and Blake: Twilight Arrow / Chain and Sickly / Chasing Shadows**

 **Accelerator and Nora: Shattered Bones / Broken Dreams / Nerve Impulse**

 **Accelerator and Velvet: White Flash / Hopping Mad**

 **Accelerator and Glynda: Fix and Destroy**

 **Accelerator and Penny: String Theory**

 **Accelerator and Sun: Sunny and Sullen**

 **Accelerator and Adam: Charging Bull**

 **Accelerator and Coco: Fashionable Disaster**

 **Accelerator and Pyrrha: Opposites Attract**

 **Accelerator and Raven: Yang's Nightmare**


	12. Difference in Strength

**Well, it's time for the battle between the Champion and the Number One. Heh, seems like it was virtually unanimous about the outcome of the battle. Pyrrha wins in a surprising upset by using a special item. Nah, just kidding. Everyone said Accelerator needs to win, but Pyrrha can at least make it interesting. That was the consensus. It is a very likely scenario. The RWBY characters are trying to figure out exactly what Accelerator can do, so trial and error is certainly going to be a factor. Then we had people asking about Touma not getting a lot of love. That is true. He has been slacking off with a terrorist group, so he's going to get some love this chapter. Also there will be some information about another fight going on that has kind of been flicking in and out of the spotlight. Now, the important comment that only part of the readers will probably be interested in. Index III has been announced. It finally happened after so many years! Plus, RWBY season 5 is just around the corner. Hubb reviewed this for me again. If he does a bad job, he doesn't get to eat.**

 **The Rupture: Cliffhangers make people want more chapters. Yeah, I'm making the assumption different types of dust are different calculations, so ice dust for example would be different than fire. Touma can attract more than just females. He gets along with most guys too. He could be a bridge between the White Fang and the rest of humanity. Jaune's ability could be working on any principle. Until it's shown in the show or written down, nothing is set.**

 **Artyom-Dreizehn: Ozpin controls everything in his school. I made sure to mention Pyrrha's analyzing Accelerator and the lack of metal weapons. Kite shields really aren't meant to throw, but shield bash is a totally real thing with them. Jaune's reflection would be based on the ideology of protecting others. He intercepts the blows and reverses the force of the blow. It's why Cardin hurt his hand. Heh, maybe Jaune does need to protect someone.**

 **shiroryuu012: Don't forget with Dark Matter, Accelerator took many blows before figuring it out. Dust only needs one or two to figure out, so there is a pretty big difference. Not sure the Almighty Thor would be able to work against Accelerator. As for Touma, everyone is going to meet very shortly.**

 **Formboy1: No faith in Pyrrha. The Sister's went through this, so the characters from another world have to try eventually.**

 **Lloyd RPGFan: Accelerator acts like a jerk to everyone. It's the small differences that say if he likes you or not. Last Order helps with the PR too. You can't stay mad when she talks to you.**

 **Guest: No faith in the champion.**

 **LL: You made me think about Emerald's ability. Would Accelerator be able to deflect it? We don't know exactly how it works, but making him accidently hurting people would be a way to sue him. Tiny Othi-chan talking to them would be funny. Accelerator's power is just plain cheating. Heh, if only Touma brought that outfit with him.**

 **YeTianshi: Accelerator? Lose? That doesn't happen unless the person has plot armor.**

 **Guest: Other people have been saying the same thing. It's true the healing may have weakened him slightly, but it's not like anyone else really got stronger.**

 **G119: He's just having fun with the White Fang. You know, the usual, picnics, shooting practice, and Grimm slaying.**

 **Prof. Pancakes: Technically, all the girls except Ruby are older than him. He's 16ish, the others are 17 and Ruby is 15. However, Accelerator's hormones are messed up because of his power. Now that he is healed, maybe he can change.**

 **Accelerator7460: You know how hard it is to make an Accelerator fight long? Very.**

 **Salishious: Not a bad name.**

 **Memento Mori - The Truth: Yeah, she's about to find that her Semblance is not a good option against him.**

 **Spartastic 4: Both pairings are possible, but nothing is set in stone. There's a lot more happening than just romance in this story. Romance is just a funny slice of life portion. Twins will be a little bit, but I plan to have them return once Touma meets with the others.**

 **Adv: Thanks.**

 **Jonathan Ngoh: It's kind of been split. Some people want a few more Index characters showing up, while others think there are plenty already. Magicians in RWBY would be interesting, but would their magic work in another world with different traditions and beliefs? Heh, Thor vs Nora would be hilarious because of who Nora is supposed to represent. Reason I chose both Accelerator and Touma to get sent to RWBY was because they were guys and RWBY is lacking a lot of important male main characters.**

 **SpiderhunterXXX: Raven is very insistent on making the strong part of her tribe. It's the number one rule: survival of the fittest.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: Nah, she would have shown up already.**

 **Guest: Huh, I may have to fire my reviewer. He missed so much. 1) Touma would never believe a hot older woman would love him like that. 2) Only he and Accelerator know that and neither of them would tell her. 3) That… actually could happen. That's the main reason something like that would happen. As for Touma's ship names, it might be easier to come up with names. I think a lot of Accelerator's is really creative.**

 **WiliamZ0: You are the only one who seems to want Pyrrha to stand against Accelerator. Everyone else knows she will lose. A magic side person would have to come with Mikoto, if they ever showed up. Othinus would be a prime choice, but Leivinia and Thor have been mentioned. Touma will get some screen time in this chapter. We have to know what the White Fang is doing up to this point.**

 **ItzABlueWulf: Heh, Death Battle. No one is going to die this time.**

 **Croniklerx: No, I refuse to even entertain the thought of Cardin being an M with Accelerator. I read enough Cardin X Velvet stuff where that is a thing. Touma is reappearing and will eventually meet the RWBY cast in a couple chapters. That is when the hilarity really begins, along with serious plot. I look for creative names that can't be applied to multiple pairs. Touma has a couple girls who might be open to a harem. Lessar for one. However, he definitely wants one, but there are reasons why he never believes a girl likes him. That is one thing I'm going to be looking forward to in season 5, Jaune's semblance. I hope it comes out before I need it. I stopped reading My Hero Academia, but I had gone pretty far. Cardin was made a leader for a reason. Most of the main cast are special, so it's hard to compare him to them. I like sneaking a little Kami-yan Disease in occasionally.**

 **A certain guest: Using dust in weapons is a science. Since using dust by igniting it with Aura causes more interesting effects, I think of it as a pseudo magic. True magic is RWBY is held by a handful of people and certain relics. (Probably, the relics have not been shown yet.) Dust by itself will be pretty normal, but Accelerator will need to make slight adjustments to make it do what he wants. It might not normally reflect. It's not as complicated as Dark Matter though. I don't know what exact percentage is, but I mentioned his reflection is not automatic. He has to actively keep it up, so when he sleeps, it goes down. Heh, I get a lot of people saying they didn't realize I write other stuff. It's why some of these stories don't get updated quite as fast.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

 _Is this right?_

Pyrrha had finished changing from her school uniform into her red and gold armor. Miló and Akoúo̱ were strapped to her back, but she was gazing at a small vial in her hand. Weiss had given it to her last night in preparation for today's fight. The vial contained a mixture of blue ice and dark brown earth dust. Since Accelerator had mentioned he knew what fire dust was capable of with his reflection, Weiss decided to try a different type. The earth dust mixed in was to add a trick to the ice and hopefully cause some issues with Accelerator's power. Pyrrha was not used to using dust besides basic dust rounds while fighting, but she had used dust in class. It was going to be a new experience for her.

She still felt slightly dirty.

Accelerator was facing her with no weapons, except his own power, which admitting was ridiculous in its own right. She wasn't even sure if he knew about her Semblance. Last Order did, but there wasn't any indication she told him. Accelerator even might have been told and forgot. He didn't seem interested in things like that. The reason Pyrrha was feeling guilty was because she was going into battle with a huge advantage that was provided by someone else. It wasn't her usual style. When she faced an opponent, she would face them with honor and her own skill. If they happened to have a weapon made of a material capable of being magnetized, Pyrrha could pretty much control the entire flow of the fight.

Accelerator was not a competitor.

He was an unknown entity.

She also had a competitive side.

 _I'll only use it as a last resort,_ Pyrrha thought and pocketed it. _There are no rules against using dust and the point of combat class is to learn and grow stronger._ She stood up and walked down the hallway to class. The door opened and she stepped into the ring. Accelerator was standing in the middle of the arena already. He did not change and his hands were in his pocket. A bored look etched on his face. There was no doubt in Pyrrha's mind that Accelerator did not want to be here and did not consider her a threat.

"Your Scrolls," Glynda said to them. They handed them to her and she connected them to the monitor. Because each Scroll was synced to their owner's Aura, everyone could see them now. Pyrrha's Aura level was normal, but Accelerator's bar did not move at all. He did not have an Aura, something Pyrrha, her friends, Glynda, and Ozpin all knew. Cardin and most of the class did not.

"What the hell?!" Cardin shouted and there was several other students murmuring in interest. "He doesn't have his Aura unlocked?!" This was more of a blow to his ego than the shock of seeing someone without an activated Aura, because he now believed he and his team had been beaten by a normal civilian.

"Watch your language, Mr. Winchester," Glynda informed him sternly. "Mr. Accelerator is a rather unique case and we know his Aura has not been unlocked." Ozpin nodded and sipped his coffee. Glynda did turn to Accelerator with a shadow of a frown on her face. "However, this brings up a good point. We stop matches when someone's Aura reaches the red. You do not have that luxury. Would you like me to call the fight if I believe you are in danger?"

"Me?" Accelerator asked incredulously. "In danger? Like that could happen. Tell you what, all she has to do is knock me down and it's her win." There was a lot of surprise muttering in the stands at his words. Pyrrha was the strongest in the year and undefeated in her matches.

"Someone's cocky!" Yang called out. Accelerator flicked her off.

"Break his legs!" Nora yelled.

"Good luck! MISAKA yells."

"Good luck!" Ruby cried.

"Do your best, Pyr!" Jaune encouraged and then gave Accelerator a thumbs up to encourage him. Weiss, Blake, and Ren didn't vocalize their support, but were watching closely, waiting for the fight to begin.

"Do you accept those terms?" Glynda asked Pyrrha and Ozpin.

"If that is what he wishes," Pyrrha said politely. "I am fine with it."

"It seems like he is putting himself at a disadvantage," Ozpin commented. "He must have faith in his abilities, so I see no problem with the set up."

"Very well," Glynda said and turned to the combatants. "Are both of you ready…? Okay, you may begin!"

Pyrrha reacted immediately and in a single fluid motion, Miló transformed from a sword into a rifle. She raised it and fired two rounds at Accelerator, who didn't even get a chance to react. Thanks to her reflexes, honed from years of combat, she automatically tilted her body to the right, as the two bullets flew right back at her. It was also thanks to her knowing what Accelerator could do, so she had already begun to move the second she fired. She had been hoping a quick shot might have been able to bypass his reflection and she even aimed at his shoulder to avoid anything vital. To her surprise, Accelerator didn't come after her.

He only yawned and never took his hands out of his pocket.

 _This was within expectations,_ Pyrrha told herself to steady her nerves. That attack was more of a test than anything. Accelerator was being rather rude to her, but at least he wasn't insulting her like some opponents she had faced. _Direct attacks won't work, so let's see if he has any blind spots._ She lowered her shield and charged forward. The only sign Accelerator took note was his eyes shifted to her ever so slightly. When she was only about five feet from him, Pyrrha tossed her shield at him to block his view. Accelerator still refused to even move and the shield made contact with his nose, but it reflected at full speed away from him. He did receive a surprise though. During the brief instant, Pyrrha disappeared.

Accelerator raised an eyebrow.

 _Got him,_ Pyrrha thought briefly. She had shifted around him the moment he couldn't see her. Normally, this would be difficult, as her opponents would constantly be moving too, but Accelerator was being overconfident and staying in one place. She was behind him and jabbed her sword into the back of Accelerator's shoulders. "Ah!" Pyrrha grunted, as her blade was bounced back and the sudden change in direction caused pain through her arm. Holding back the full force of her blow probably saved her, as the rebound wasn't as powerful, and her Aura blocked most of the force and pain. Accelerator turned and reached out a hand toward her. Fear flickered through Pyrrha and she treated his hand like a blade and moved to dodge.

Forcing Aura into her legs, she effortlessly leaped over him and landed by her shield.

 _He doesn't need to see it to block?_ Pyrrha thought. _Maybe if I get him to focus on one attack and use simultaneous strikes?_ She threw her shield again, but this time, missed Accelerator's face by a fraction of an inch.

"I'm not even moving," Accelerator commented. His tone betrayed his boredom. "And you missed? Aren't you some kind of champ-…?" His words were cut off over the sound of gunfire. The bullets hit him in the chest and reflected back against Pyrrha, who shifted to the side and dodged. A second later, the shield she had tossed hit Accelerator in the back of the head. The plan was to bounce it off the wall behind him and then cause a distraction so the surprise attack would hit. It was a sound plan and flawlessly executed, but she underestimated Accelerator's reflection. The shield bounced straight back, hit the wall, and flew passed Accelerator to Pyrrha, who caught it with an outstretched hand. "Huh, not bad, but it's all pointless."

"It's not over until the buzzer," Pyrrha replied. _This is the first time I'm actually worried I won't be able to win. I wish he was wearing something metal._ She turned her gun back into a blade and raised her shield. She heard her friends shouting encouragements, but she remained focus on the fight.

"Tsk." Accelerator made an impatient noise with his tongue. "You seemed smarter than most, so I figured you would realize the difference in power." He took a single step forward and the ground around him began to break. "Are you going to make me show you?"

"Yes." Pyrrha smiled and charged forward. Accelerator sighed and tapped the sole of his foot. The broken ground beneath him shattered and battered Pyrrha with a barrage of stone shrapnel. Her shield blocked her face, but the rest of her exposed. She could feel her Aura depleting rapidly and then her danger sense went off. Trusting it, she jumped and rolled to the side and saw she avoided Accelerator's out stretched hand again. She witnessed firsthand what a single touch could do.

"Hold still," Accelerator said annoyed and the ground beneath him exploded as he rocketed toward Pyrrha. Aura, combined with skill and training, allowed Pyrrha to avoid the straightforward attack, but Accelerator only stepped on the ground and rocketed toward her again. His vector manipulation affected himself as easily as anything he touched. He had been content in letting Pyrrha attack him so he could end the fight without doing anything, but he noticed she was being cautious and testing out his defenses. They would be here all day if he didn't do something soon. They repeated these movements for a few minutes, before Pyrrha realized she was being pushed back against the edge of the ring. "Finally," Accelerator growled. "You're slipperier than an eel."

 _Looks like I don't have a choice,_ Pyrrha thought and pulled out the vial. _Let's see if this works._ She heard some whispering in the background, but it was to be expected. Most of the class knew she wasn't a dust user, so seeing her with a vial of dust was a surprise. Weiss would probably tell her friends about their plan, but everyone else could only guess. It was possible they would think she always had this as a last resort. Glynda and Ozpin shared a look, but neither said anything.

"Huh?" Accelerator noticed the vial. "So you can use dust? At least I won't be bored. Show me what you got before I end this."

"If you insist," Pyrrha responded. She uncorked the vial of the mired dust and channeled her aura into it. The dust began to glow softly and shake gently. Accelerator started walking confidently toward her and she waved her hand out, with the open side facing him. A flash of blue light erupted from the vial and Accelerator's eyes widened slightly as he was engulfed. There was shouting from the stands, but Pyrrha was focused on what was happening. The light faded and her mouth fell open.

Accelerator was completely surrounded in ice that jettisoned in every direction to make it vaguely resemble a kind of flower that almost reached the ceiling. The ground and loose rubble was also completely frozen. Pyrrha was shocked at how potent that dust was. Usually a vial that size would only hold enough ice dust to freeze half that amount. Weiss must have mixed some very high quality dust. Pyrrha took a step forward and inhaled, before swapping her weapon into spear form. _Please say I didn't freeze him solid. I didn't think it would be that powerful._

"Look out!" Jaune yelled out in warning. Pyrrha blinked and heard it.

 _Crack._

Then the ice prison exploded.

Pyrrha raised her shield to protect her face and felt chunks of ice collide with her. There was a slight drain on her Aura, but the force behind the ice wasn't designed to be an attack. She lowered her shield and her eyes widened. Standing within the remains of the ice prison, was Accelerator, completely unharmed. He had his finger in his ear like he was trying to get something out. However, the bored look in his eyes was gone, as he directed them toward her, and he smiled. An involuntary shiver ran down her back. That smile wasn't one of amusement, but rather of a predator who eyed some prey.

"So you can bite," Accelerator laughed. "That was interesting. I actually felt cold there for a moment. As thanks," he held out his hand, "I'll show you something interesting too, as a reward." The air in the room started to move. Pyrrha was only able to tell this at first because a few strands of her air rose and flickered toward Accelerator. Then, as dust and ice flakes began to rise into the air and spin, she realized what was happening.

A vortex of wind was forming around his hand.

* * *

"He can control wind too?!" Yang exclaimed. "That's it! I call hacks!"

"That is so cool!" Ruby added in complete contrast to her sister.

"Come on, Pyrrha!" Jaune called out. "You can do this." Even as he said it, things did not look good.

"She's cornered." Ren voiced Jaune's fear out loud.

"I wish I could make a tornado," Nora wished jealously.

"Don't hurt MISAKA's friend, MISAKA orders."

"That concentration of dust was certainly powerful," Blake whispered to Weiss. "Were you going for a sudden burst to bypass his defenses?"

"That was the initial design," Weiss confirmed, her eyes never leaving the fight. "But I wanted another layer. I mixed in some special earth dust that we were hoping would affect him. How much it actually does and how Pyrrha can use it will determine the outcome of this match."

* * *

 _Not good,_ Pyrrha thought in a slight panic. She had never been in such a one sided fight. Accelerator was in a league of his own. Not only did the high quality ice dust barely slow him down, but his power even worked on the very air itself. Weapons didn't work, brute strength didn't work, surprise attacks didn't work, dust didn't work, nothing seemed to break his defenses. She had one last option at her disposal.

Her Semblance.

Pyrrha welded the power of polarity, or magnetism. Against normal opponents, it was a huge advantage and would allow her to win matches with ease. Few people actually knew what it was, because she kept it on the down low. It was mainly used to alternate the trajectory of a blow now and then, slow down an attack, or speed up her own. This power was useless against Grimm, which is one reason she practiced so much, but it was also useless against opponents who didn't have anything capable of being magnetized, like Accelerator. However, this changed with her last dust attack. She could sense it.

Everything the ice touched could be magnetized.

Of course, this was only temporarily. The earth dust mixed in is what caused the affect and Weiss had explained it would only last a few minutes after being charged with Aura. Accelerator didn't have a way to tell what the dust did, so Pyrrha had the element of surprise. The ground around him could be manipulated, but that wasn't what she was going for. His reflection would just knock it away. Pyrrha was going for something closer to home.

Accelerator's shirt and pants were affected.

As Accelerator began to pull his hand back and the wind with it, Pyrrha concentrated her Semblance at his sleeve. She could feel her Semblance pushing on the cloth and his arm slowed. She blinked in surprise when the arm stopped moving and her power broke. _What happened?_ She locked eyes with Accelerator and she instantly knew.

"You are the first one to try something like that," Accelerator explained to her. "If something is touching me, I have full control over it." He moved his hand forward and a cyclone of wind was fired too fast for Pyrrha to dodge. The air was moving easily 120 meters per second and crashed into her.

"Ah!" Pyrrha cried out involuntarily in pain. She was lifted into the air and thrown out of the ring, before crashing into the wall. It was not nearly the same amount of force Accelerator used on Team CRDL, but it still left her winded. She slid down the wall and hit the floor. She stood up a second later and tested her muscles to make sure she was okay. The silence in the room was palpable as everyone stared. Pyrrha, the person at the top of their combat class, was beaten handily by a scrawny, unknown kid without an Aura.

"Miss Nikos has been knocked out of the ring," Glynda declared. She and Ozpin at least appeared calm, which made sense. They had the most accurate picture of his power and their experience allowed them to picture what he truly would be capable of doing. Ozpin was interested in seeing how much Accelerator would hold back once he knew what Aura was capable of. Pyrrha's Aura was only at the halfway point and he ended the fight with a simple ring out.

 _Did he plan that after seeing the earlier fights or was it just luck?_

Pyrrha dusted herself off and walked over to Accelerator. "Good match," she told him and held out a hand. Accelerator looked at her for a second.

"Hmph." He put his hands into his pocket and walked back up the stands, as the bell rang.

"Class dismissed," Glynda told everyone. Her hawklike eyes were on Accelerator for his rudeness.

"One moment," Ozpin announced, as everyone started packing. "Will Miss Rose and Mr. Arc join me in my office after your lunch period? I have a few things I wish to discuss with you."

Jaune and Ruby looked at each other with a mixture of confusion and worry.

* * *

"What do you think he wants?" Ruby asked Jaune nervously, as they stood outside his office.

"Maybe to congratulate us on our performance?" Jaune suggested lamely.

"If that was the case," Ruby protested and waved her arms. "He would have just told us in class!"

"I'm sure it's nothing bad," Jaune reassured her, but at the same time was trying to keep himself calm. _This can't be about my transcripts. Ruby wouldn't be here. Yang suggested they might want our teams to do something, maybe volunteer work to make up for all the stuff she and Nora broke. That actually sounds plausible._ He raised his hand and knocked because Ruby gave no indication she was going to.

"Come in." Ozpin's voice rang clearly through the door. Jaune gulped and opened it. They stepped into the office and the door closed behind them. Ozpin was sitting at his desk and Glynda was standing by it. She didn't look very happy, but Ozpin had a neutral expression. Jaune and Ruby automatically straightened up, something he must have noticed. "Relax, neither of you are in any sort of trouble. Please, have a seat." They obliged.

"What is this about, sir?" Ruby asked.

"Do you two know the process about receiving your first official mission in Beacon?" Ozpin asked. Ruby and Jaune looked at him blankly. Glynda sighed and rubbed her temple.

"As Hunters-in-Training," Glynda explained. "You will be required to periodically participate in missions for Vale, both in and outside the walls. The point of this is to use your skills to benefit the kingdom, while simultaneously giving you real world experience. First years are given their first assignment in the middle of the year after an assessment of their abilities has been made. You will then choose a mission from a list approved by the faculty of beacon and have a licensed Hunter accompany you."

"Oh," Jaune realized. "Ren mentioned this once. Don't we have like a month or so until then?"

"Normally, yes," Ozpin confirmed and set down his mug. "However, something critical has come up."

"So you need us to do something?" Ruby asked excitedly, her eyes sparkling. "What is it? Protecting a VIP? Saving a village from Grimm?"

"Not quite," Ozpin told them. "Do you know the history of Mt. Glenn?"

"Err…," Ruby mumbled, thinking hard.

"Wasn't that an expansion at one time?" Jaune asked.

"It's good to see Miss Nikos's teachings have been useful," Glynda said and Jaune eyed the floor in embarrassment.

"Now, Glynda," Ozpin stated calmly. "This is more recent history and Bart has most likely not covered it in class yet." He turned back to Jaune and Ruby. "Mt. Glenn was Vale's first serious attempt at expansion," he explained. "An elaborate underground metro system was established that allowed the settlers to commute between the main kingdom and the new territory, bypassing the Grimm."

"So we are going there to get our mission?" Jaune asked.

"No," Ozpin said sternly. "Mt. Glenn does not exist anymore except being a testimony of the ferocity of the forces that await us outside our walls." He was met by silence for a moment.

"…the Grimm overran it," Ruby whispered quietly.

"That is correct, Miss Rose. Mt. Glenn lacked the natural defenses Vale has, so an aggressive perimeter defense was created. This worked, for a time. The forces of Grimm kept battering against our defenses until they eventually overwhelmed the city defenses. In a last-ditch effort to save its residents, the citizens took refuge in the tunnels they had initially cleared for their subways, converting them into an underground settlement and cutting themselves off from the surface entirely. This safe haven worked until a tunnel collapsed and the Grimm swarmed in. Vale had no choice but to seal off the tunnels and abandon its plans for continued expansion." Ruby looked at the ground and Jaune didn't look much happier, but he had to ask something.

"Why were the Grimm so numerous?" Jaune asked. "I mean, they are attracted to negative emotions, but even Vale isn't sieged on a daily basis. I know people might have been nervous, but wouldn't they be excited knowing that our territory was expanding?" Ozpin looked over at Glynda, who nodded.

"There are several reasons," she stated. "But the main one was Merlot Industries."

"Merlot Industries?" Jaune and Ruby asked simultaneously.

"The corporation initially led research into artificial intelligence and genetics. However, they began experimenting on live Grimm, later going as far as attracting Grimm to the city in order to acquire additional specimens. You saw the results."

"How could they!?" Ruby demanded. "They sacrificed so many lives!"

"They believed the secret to defeating the Grimm," Ozpin explained. "Was to understand them completely. They went about it the wrong way, but their corporation could not recover from the loss they sustained and are no longer in operations."

"That's one piece of good news," Ruby muttered dryly. The conversation was not pleasant.

"If Vale abandoned the city," Jaune questioned. "Why would you need to send us there?"

"Because something strange is happening there," Ozpin continued. "Due to the catastrophe, Grimm have always congregated there and need clearing out periodically every few years. Right now, they are gathering much quicker. If we delay too long, we could have a large enough group that could actively threaten Vale."

"So you want us to go and clear them out?" Ruby asked. "Sounds simple. Are both our teams going because of the numbers?"

"Yes and no," Ozpin corrected her. "Team JNPR will be in charge of thinning out the Grimm population."

"Nora's going to love that," Jaune whispered to himself. He was nervous, but if the rest of his team was there, they would probably be okay. His skills weren't nearly as good as theirs, but he was confident in their teamwork.

"As for team RWBY," Ozpin continued, as if Jaune had not said anything. "There is a second objective." Ruby say at the edge of her seat excitedly. "I want your team to investigate _why_ the Grimm are congregating faster than they have in recent years."

"Cool!" Ruby exclaimed. "A stealth operation. Yang might not be excited, but we will totally be spies."

"There are a couple things you need to know about this operation," Ozpin interrupted. "First, you will not be going alone. A licensed Hunter will accompany you. Second, you may not be familiar with group dynamics among two or more Hunter teams. While, as leaders, you have your assigned objectives, you may decide certain members of your team may be suited for a different objective. If you wish to trade team members for this assignment, the choice lies with you two."

"Huh," Jaune grunted in thought. "If that's the case, Yang might be a better choice for outside."

"Ren could join us," Ruby agreed. "He would be better suited for stealth and investigation."

"We can discuss it later," Jaune whispered, aware Glynda and Ozpin were watching them. "So, umm, when do we leave for Mt. Glenn?"

"Tomorrow morning," Glynda informed them.

"So soon?!" They asked in surprise. She nodded.

"Time is of the essence," Ozpin explained seriously. "Our forces are stretched thin at the border and we need to figure out what is going on before we can receive authorization to send in an extermination force. Because of the nature of this mission, and many uncertainties, if it is decided the risks are too high, you are to retreat immediately and report back with any findings. Do not sacrifice your lives needlessly."

"Sir?" Jaune asked. "Do you, personally, believe something more is happening?"

"I believe so," Ozpin confirmed. "After all, this did not occur until Mr. Accelerator and Miss Order arrived in our world."

"Maybe it's their friend, Touma," Ruby suggested. "We know he's out there and working for Torchwick… eep!" She covered her mouth. They had not told Glynda or Ozpin about that information.

"What was that?" Glynda asked and she raised an eyebrow.

"…nothing," Ruby muttered.

"As it so happens," Ozpin said, stepping in before anything could happen. "We know Mr. Kamijou has been seen in the presence of Roman Torchwick. We have heard rumors of his power, but perhaps you could give us any information you know and we could… overlook… forgetting to tell us about it."

"From what we know," Jaune said slowly, determined not to throw Blake under the bus. "His power is negation and can erase supernatural things. A single touch on a Grimm causes them to vanish." Glynda raised an eyebrow. "Grimm also seem to avoid approaching him for some reason. It might be fear, but we don't know. We also believe Torchwick is tricking him into helping him and the White Fang."

"Hang on," Ruby interrupted. "Grimm won't go near him, but they will approach him to a certain point. Maybe he is there and the Grimm are trying to get him, but can't." Her face fell. "If he is there, that means the White Fang is too."

"It is possible," Ozpin acknowledged. "And is what your team needs to find out. Are you both willing?"

"Yes!" Ruby agreed. "Team RWBY is in!"

"Same with Team JNPR," Jaune added. "But sir, what about Accelerator? Is he going to be coming with us…?"

"No," Glynda informed them instead of Ozpin. "While Mr. Accelerator has demonstrated his proficiency, there are still concerns about his ability to work with a team. Can you say that if he was given the order to retreat, that he would immediately without incident?"

"…No," Jaune admitted. "I can see him believing running away is for cowards."

"I don't think he understands subtly either," Ruby added and then couldn't suppress a giggle. "I can see him collapsing Mt. Glenn." Jaune snickered too but quickly calmed downed under Glynda's glare.

"I'm glad you agree with our decision." Ozpin took a sip from his coffee. "One final thing. I cannot stress how dangerous this mission could be and it is possible you may be forced to retreat. The Hunter assigned to watch over you is in charge. If he rules that the situation is too dangerous and to fall back, you will do so." Ruby and Jaune nodded seriously. "Also, because there are two groups, a chain of command needs to be established, in the instance the lead Hunter is no longer able to continue, one of you two will be in charge."

"By, able to continue," Ruby asked quietly. "You mean?"

"We have a dangerous job." Ozpin's words were clear. "Now, I have decided on who will take over incase this situation occurs. It will be…"

* * *

Deep in the underbelly of Mt. Glenn, Touma was walking around with Perry and Rita.

There wasn't much for him to do. The dust had been loaded into the trains, waiting for dispatch orders, and now everyone else was mostly performing routine patrols. Roman had told Touma as long as he stayed close by and was escorted so he didn't get lost, he could look around. Most of the time was either spent with Neo or, when she wasn't available, Perry and Rita. It wasn't like he purposely sought them out, it was just everyone else was either busy, there was a larger age gap, or they didn't know how that well. Perry and Rita began to treat him more like one of the group, while the others kept their distance.

And then there was Neo.

If Neo wasn't doing something for Roman, she preferred to be near him. Touma didn't necessarily dislike hanging around her, but he did wish she wouldn't embarrass him at every opportunity. In her defense, nothing she ever did to him was dangerous. When meals were passed out, she would insist on feeding him like a kid, but only for a couple bites and then let him eat normally. When he was somewhere with a group of White Fang nearby, she would pop out of nowhere, grab his arm, and insist on walking around with him. He had asked Roman about it and he only laughed at him. He said she was just showing her affection, let her have some fun, and he should be proud to attract her attention. Touma didn't believe this was true and she was only teasing. Besides that, she proved to be a very intelligent individual. Touma learned a lot about the history, Grimm, the kingdoms, and religious beliefs.

"Patrol duty is so boring," Rita complained. She and Perry were holding dust rifles, but Touma remained unharmed. The quartermaster had actually asked if he wanted one, but Touma never liked holding a gun.

"It certainly has quieted down since someone arrived," Perry agreed and motioned to Touma. "Can't complain, though. You never stop having nightmares when a Beowolf pops up right in front of you."

"Glad I could help," Touma replied. He kept his voice mild, but kept glancing around the tunnels, like he was expecting them to be ambushed. "But if my hand is keeping the Grimm back, why are we still patrolling?"

"Just in case," Rita explained. She had really opened up to Touma recently. "We do see most of the Grimm stay away, but there may be a unique Grimm that actually wants to seek you out. We can't risk one getting in close, causing havoc, and then emboldening the others. Periodic patrols are still required."

"Though the number drastically reduced," Perry added. "We are also worried about possible scouts from private organizations that hate Faunus. It wouldn't be the first time the Schnee had sent a mercenary force to wipe out protestors."

Schnee.

It wasn't the first time Touma heard about that family. The Schnee family was largest provider of dust to the four kingdoms and they were stationed in Atlas. Because dust was so valuable and a major part of Atlas's economy, the Schnee could get away with murder. Faunus were discriminated against and had limited job opportunities in many areas, so the Schnee took advantage of that. Their company paid Faunus less than human and separated them into the dangerous mines. The conditions were subpar and accidents were commonplace, along with fatalities. Many of the White Fang lost family and friends to them. Touma wanted to believe there was a logical explanation for it, but a small part of him admitted large corporations were known to cut costs whenever they could to maximize profits. Neo elaborated a bit when he asked her why the Schnee could get away with it and he was told it came down to two things: money and necessity. The Schnee could pay people off and keeping costs low kept dust prices low, which the rest of Remnant needed.

It was a bad situation made worse.

 _Two sides to every story._ "No one knows you guys are here," Touma pointed out. "So it should just be Grimm." He frowned. "Unless people come out here to explore or something."

"Nah," Perry answered and waved his hand. "Vale likes to pretend this didn't happen, so I doubt they would send out exploratory forces. They already did that years ago."

"Hold on." Rita cut them off and pointed down a side passage. "Hear something?" Touma strained his ears, but all was silent.

"Sounds like trouble," Perry agreed and gripped his rifle tightly. "Move slowly, stick together. Pretty sure it's a Grimm."

"I don't hear anything," Touma whispered as they headed in the direction.

"Faunus hearing," his companions answered. Touma followed them quietly. He had very limited experience with Grimm. "If it's leaving the tunnels toward outside," Rita whispered. "We can leave it alone. Otherwise, we are going to blast it and you shield us with your power."

"Got it," Touma replied immediately. "But why let it leave? Won't it join the other Grimm? Where did it even come from?"

"There are subterranean Grimm," Rita explained. "As for why we don't just blast them, think about it. Why waste ammo when dust is so precious. Plus, the sound could attract more. Curiosity could override their desire to stay away."

"Makes sense," Touma muttered. They turned another corner and quickly came to a halt. The thing in front of them was definitely a Grimm. Touma recognized the black fur and white mask and armor pieces, but he had not seen that type before. It reminded him of a two legged lizard. There were no forelimbs, only hind limbs. The hind limbs were dual-clawed, and inverted at the knee joints, heavily akin to an ostrich. They also possessed tails, which seemed to allow it control its balance. The Grimm must have heard their footsteps, because it turned around to glare at them. The mask on its face was stubbier than a Beowolf's.

"It's heading toward our base," Perry said. "Exterminate it."

"Got it." Rita and Perry began to fire and the Grimm quickly fell to their bullets. The body began to dissolve into smoke, as the two of them holstered their weapons.

"What type of Grimm was that?" Touma asked.

"Just a Creep," Perry informed him. "Fast, but virtually no armor. Likes dark places. They usually ambush with numbers." He frowned. "It's unusual to see them alone like that."

"They usually try to swarm," Rita spat out. "Annoying little buggers."

"Should we report this? Let them know there could be more Creeps?" Touma had no idea what the proper procedures were, but he didn't want the White Fang to suffer a surprise attack. He had gotten to know quite a few of them, with Rita and Perry actually being friends.

"I suppose we should," Perry relented and pulled out his radio. Before he could say anything, a voice came through.

"All patrols report back immediately! A cave in as stirred up a group of Grimm near the trains! I repeat, all patrols report back immediately!"

"That answers that question," Rita commented, before beginning to sprint down the corridor they had just come from. "Hurry up, blackheads!"

"Quit your nagging!" Perry yelled back, as he and Touma raced after her. Touma still couldn't shake the feeling the two of them were together.

* * *

The three of them arrived shortly after the flood of Creeps emerged from a tunnel.

For the most part, the White Fang had dug in and was holding the line. The Creeps were indeed not very strong and fell to a couple well placed bullets, but there were many of them and they were fast. With sheer numbers, they began to close the gap. Rita, Perry, and Touma had come out of a tunnel about one story up and overlooking the fight. It gave them a well place vantage point to start shooting, which Rita and Perry did. Touma took off down the stairs to the ground floor so he could join the main battle. _If my hand keeps them away, the Creeps won't want to close in and we can wipe them out without a loss of life._ He had almost reached them, when he heard a loud bellow.

Something else emerged from the tunnel.

Due to the black skin, white mask with red markings, and bonelike plating acting like makeshift armor, it was obviously a Grimm, but it was much larger than a Creep, virtually twice as tall as a normal human. Touma was reminded of a large gorilla. Muscles seemed to bulge from its arms and legs each time it stepped forward. The Creeps parted around it, but they kept coming. Sensing the threat, several White Fang members focused fire on the new Grimm. Each bullet just bounced off its armor and hide without any noticeable damage. Though, it appeared to make it angry, really angry. Its mouth opened and it roared. The sound echoed all around then tunnels.

"Beringel!" someone yelled to the new members arriving at the scene.

"Keep the Creeps back!" the Lieutenant ordered, as he revved up his chainsaw. "I'll handle it when the time comes."

"Now this is a pleasant experience to walk into," a voice next to Touma commented, which caused Touma to jump slightly in surprise. "Easy boy, no need to be so squeamish. These mutts know what they signed up for." Touma turned to see Roman standing next to him, leaning on his cane.

"What should I do?" Touma asked immediately. "And what is that thing?"

"A Beringel," Roman replied, as the two of them walked toward the front line. "Fast, strong, and armored. Regular dust bullets won't do anything against it, except make it angry. Got a couple people pulling out some better weaponry to use against it and Neo is preparing to strike. It's not going anywhere. As for what you are doing," Roman grinned. "Moving to the front lines to keep the enemy back with your hand, an intelligent decision. Look, it's already having an effect." Touma noticed that now he and Roman where only a row behind the White Fang shooting over a makeshift barricade, the Creeps would not get near, which caused them to fall to the dust bullets.

The Beringel did not appear to appreciate cowardice.

It grabbed one of the retreating Creeps and picked it up, with a single arm. Touma's eyes widened and he knew what it was going to do. "What out!" he yelled, but no one had time to prepare. The Beringel threw the creep like a baseball and it crashed into the barricades, knocked a couple of the White Fang down. The Creep sprang back up to its feet and tried to grab the nearest person with its teeth. The man screamed and Touma had only managed to take a single step when Neo appeared suddenly on top of the Creep. She brought the sword normally hidden in her parasol down into the back of the Creep's neck. A loud screech of pain was heard and the Creep fell.

"Perfect work," Roman praised her. "As usual." Neo curtsied cutely and then winked at Touma, who blushed. "Think you could do that to the Beringel?" Neo frowned, held a finger to her cheek, and shook her head. She made a few gestures with her hand, while the sound of gunfire echoed around them.

"Armor's too thick for conventional weapons," Roman muttered. "Figures. Looks like we have to use the dust cannon." Neo grinned excitedly. "No, you don't get to fire it." Her smile crashed to the floor and she began to pout.

"What if I can touch it?" Touma asked Roman. "It would save dust that's needed elsewhere." _At least I can do something to help. Sitting around while others fight is not my style._

"Think you can erase it before it squashes you?" Roman asked, slightly amused. "They have been known to knock down buildings with ease."

"I should be able to," Touma said, but he hesitated slightly. "Most of the Creeps are gone, but some cover fire won't hurt."

"Easy enough," Roman declared and turned to the White Fang. "Alright, focus fire on the Beringel to keep it occupied! Our friend is going to take care of it, but he needs to get close!" The firing paused for a moment, as everyone aimed, and then it sound like a machine gun started running. Everyone was blasting the Beringel and it was forced to cover its face to avoid the bullets. Touma jumped over the barricades and made his way forward, praying the gunners wouldn't hit him. "Be prepared to rescue him if it goes south," Roman told Neo, who nodded.

 _I got this,_ Touma thought as he neared. With the Beringel covering its face, it couldn't see him approaching, but it must have sensed him. Touma was only ten feet away when it looked under its arm to make eye contact. It roared at him menacingly, but then it tried to back up. Touma could tell his power was scaring it. However, due to its size, it couldn't back up quickly and Touma closed in. The Beringel raised its arm and brought it down toward Touma's head. The blow was far too quick for a normal person to dodge, or at least someone without experience. Touma was used to the people around him being far stronger, faster, and smarter than him. Because of that, he developed a sort of precognition. It wasn't really a power. It was more along his battle instincts had been heightened to the extreme.

Touma ducked under the hand that would have knocked down a wall, while simultaneously reaching up and lightly tapping the black hair. The sound of breaking glass was heard and the Beringel disappeared. There was no explosion, no energy, nothing except that it ceased to exist. The remaining Creeps noticed their commander failed and began to flee into the tunnels. There was only a few shots being fired, but most of the gunfire had stopped. Touma sighed in relief and felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Neo giving him a thumbs up. He smiled at her and turned to the rest of the White Fang, who began to cheer.

"Not bad, kid." Roman walked up to Touma and Neo. "Thanks to your actions, we don't have to waste all the dust for a couple heavy weapons. Though, I'm sure Neo could have taken care of things without them." Neo had a smug look on her face.

"What happens now?" Touma asked. "It seems like we are just waiting around. Wouldn't these attacks continue to happen the longer we are here?"

"Until this area is discovered," Roman explained. "The White Fang is planning to use it as their main base of operations for the area. It takes time to fortify against every possible Grimm." He looked over his shoulder and saw the White Fang beginning to celebrate. "You might as well go with them. I can hardly justify keeping the hero from a party." Touma looked like he was going to argue, but Neo pushed him towards the others, after making a very suggestive gesture with her hand and mouth. Touma blink and scooted off, completely embarrassed. "I can never tell if you're serious with him," Roman calmly stated to Neo. "I expect a booty call once in a while, but I rarely see you act like a lovestruck teenager unless you are manipulating someone.

Neo held her hand out and rotated it in the air back and forth.

"As long as I don't have to hear it," Roman sighed and Neo grinned. "Come with me. I received a message from our good friend, Junior." She nodded and trotted after him, with only a single glance over her shoulder. Most Faunus had heightened senses, which included hearing, so Roman and Neo had to make sure they were far away from anyone to avoid being overheard. One White Fang grunt thought he would be clever to spy on them and Neo dispatched him. His body was eventually found torn apart by Grimm. They entered one of the underground buildings and ascended to one of the top floors, so they could watch over everyone. "Seems like the boy's friends have been found." Neo frowned and began to gesture.

' _Where are they?'_

"Annoyingly," Roman said. "With some of Ozpin's Hunters, including Red and that little Kitty."

' _Are you going to tell him?'_

"Sure." Neo raised an eyebrow and Roman grinned. "Eventually. Maybe after a couple years or so, when he's no longer useful, and you don't want him as your boy toy." Neo snickered. "I don't recall ever saying when I would tell him once I found out, only that I would."

' _You're such an ass.'_

"Thank you, doll."

' _So when can we leave this dump?'_

"The bitch doesn't want us to move until the festival. Something about causing the greatest impact with the most amount of people. Don't really care, myself. Once fortifications are prepared, we don't have to be back for a couple of weeks. I figure some R and R, a little robbery, and some delicious food is in order. The rations out here are worse than prison slop in Vacuo."

' _We taking him with us?'_

'Of course," Roman confirmed. "I have some ideas on how to benefit from his power against professional Hunters. He also seems to have away with people. Have you noticed?" Neo nodded. "Figured he must have something for animals, otherwise he would be putty in your hands." She giggled and then made a weird gesture. "Recruit his friends? If we found them before Ozpin's lackeys did, maybe. Now, they probably know enough about how things really operate and will convince our young companion we might not be completely honest in our means."

' _Us? Dishonest? How rude!'_ Roman laughed.

"At the very least," Roman continued. "We can go back to our usual city comfort."

* * *

"…Arc!?" Weiss cried out after Ruby briefed her in their room. "He's been appointed second in command?!"

"Yep!" Ruby explained. "But that's only in case the Hunter in charge gets."

"Heh," Yang laughed from her bed. "How did Vomit Boy take it?"

"He… looked like he was going to vomit again, actually." Ruby relived that moment in her mind.

" _Me?" Jaune asked and he looked like a deer in headlights._

" _I was observing your matches for the specific reason of seeing if your teams were capable," Ozpin explained. "What I saw confirmed my choice in determining the chain of command."_

" _But…me?" Jaune repeated. "Everyone else performed leagues better than me. Ruby was the reason we won the fight."_

" _A leader must possess more than just combat prowess," Ozpin explained. "You made the decision that achieved victory, even at the cost of yourself. Not everyone can do such a thing."_

" _He's right, Jaune," Ruby added, as she tried to encourage her close friend. "I wouldn't have noticed Weiss being open if you hadn't shouted. You are a great leader, just have a little more confidence in yourself."_

" _This is one decision he made I actually agree with," Glynda added, which caused Ruby and Jaune to look up in surprise. "Don't misunderstand me, your combat abilities are below what I would like," Jaune flinched, "But you are one of the top performers in Ozpin's strategic leadership classes. I believe you can make decisions that will not endanger your teammates' lives needlessly." Her eyes darted over to Ruby, who blushed._

"But even Goodwitch agreed," Ruby continued.

"That's rare," Yang muttered and looked down at Blake below her. "What do you think, Kitty Cat?"

"I think I want you to stop calling me that," Blake mumbled back angrily. She lowered her book slightly.

"I mean about Jaune being second in command over Ruby."

"I trust our professors," Blake responded neutrally.

"Come on!" Weiss said impatiently. "It's…Arc! He's at the bottom of our combat class. The reason his team performs so well, is that the others members are all really strong."

"Weiss," Yang warned. "That's uncalled for."

"Jaune's a great person!" Ruby protested, slightly angrily.

"I'm not saying he's a bad person," Weiss clarified. "He may have qualities I dislike, but he is not nearly as bad as people I have met back home. I am simply pointing out his lack of skill is going to risk all of our lives." She turned to Blake, who had shifted her gaze to look at her. "You understand where I'm going with this, right?" Blake sighed and put her book down. She actually was okay with Jaune, but they had never spent a lot of time together except with their teams. He was actually for equality and was willing to protect Faunus, so that was a huge thing in her book. However, Blake figured out what was really bothering Weiss.

"I believe you are upset because Jaune is better at something than you," Blake stated and sat up. The room grew quiet. "While it is true his combat skills are lower than ours, he is working with Pyrrha constantly to improve. Now, Ozpin has located his strong point and wants to use it. You have always seen him below us and now that he has been appointed above you, you feel threaten."

"T-that's p-preposterous," Weiss stuttered. "I would never be so shallow!" Yang and Blake raised an eyebrow. "I am simply worried about our teams in case things go wrong. You know they usually do when we get involved." None of them could argue that. "But… if our professors believe he is capable, I will believe in them."

"Aww!" Ruby cooed and sped forward to hug her partner. "I knew you would come around. I promise Jaune will show you his good points!"

"Fine, just get off." Weiss started prying Ruby off her.

"Have you been bottling that in for a while about Weiss Cream?" Yang whispered to Blake. "Seems like it was well thought out."

"You know she has to be brought down a peg from time to time," Blake whispered back.

"True, that."

"Oh, Yang!" Ruby called out, after Weiss finally separated her. "Because our team is assigned for information gathering on this mission and Team JNPR is assigned with Grimm extermination, Jaune and I thought we might have to trade some of our teammates to optimize."

"So you want me to work with them?" Yang asked to clarify and Ruby nodded. "Sure. Punching things is more my style than rooting around looking for clues."

"Who are you planning to replace her?" Blake asked.

"Ren," Ruby answered immediately. "He's smart, has experience investigating, and can be stealthy if it turns out we are spying."

"That's… actually very smart," Weiss said, sounding impressed.

"Yay! Weiss complimented me!"

"Now, I regret it."

"I'm going to miss you," Yang told Blake. "Try not to fall for Ren and forget your favorite blonde."

"Who are you?" Blake asked with a smirk and Yang laughed. Blake turned her gaze back to her book and a thought passed through her mind. _I can understand Jaune and Ruby being paired up if Ozpin wanted to test their leadership skills, but what about the other fights. If we go with Jaune's and Ruby's plan, then Ren and I will be partners, while Yang and Nora will be partners. It's just like our fight. Could Ozpin have planned this? But this was Ruby's decision, not his. I bet it's just coincidence._ She stopped worrying about it and focused on finishing her book. It was hard though, because she was worried about if the White Fang was actually there or not.

* * *

"I don't want to lose Ren!" Nora cried, as she held him in a bone crushing hug.

"It's only temporary," Jaune reassured her. He was having a little less luck telling his team what had transpired. Pyrrha and Ren agreed, but Nora didn't want to be separated from her partner. Accelerator was trying to ignore them and play video games with Last Order, but she kept being distracted by the conversation. "We figured you would want to stay and pulverize Grimm with us, while Ren takes over the investigation."

"But I like to spy too!" Nora protested.

"Nora," Pyrrha said calmly. "You should let Ren go. He needs to breath." Nora gasped and loosened her hold, which allowed Ren to fall onto the bed, panting slightly.

"Thanks." Ren sat up and regained his composure. "Nora, you are much better at fighting Grimm than sneaking around. Besides, you have more fun doing it. Being part of Team RWBY for one mission doesn't mean we will be separated for long. We will simply be doing two different things simultaneously."

"Like multitasking?" Nora asked.

"Yes, like multitasking."

"Oh, I guess that's okay." Nora nodded and grabbed her remote to play the next round with Last Order and Accelerator.

"So," Pyrrha said to Jaune. "Congratulations on being second in command."

"What was Ozpin thinking?" Jaune moaned and fell onto his bed.

"You are all going to die," Accelerator said and Last Order slapped his arm.

"Be nice, MISAKA demands. MISAKA believes you will be a fine leader MISAKA says as MISAKA tries to cheer you up. MISAKA heard how you found Accelerator." Accelerator made a noise with his tongue.

"She's right, Fearless Leader," Nora added. "You have proven your determination and strategic planning. We are all proud to follow you to the gates of hell."

"Which hopefully will not be required," Ren added.

"We believe in you," Pyrrha said and sat down on the bed next to Jaune. "Just believe in yourself and you can find the leader you were meant to be."

"I'll try," Jaune mumbled into his pillow. "I want everyone to get back in one piece at least."

'Do they expect me to come and babysit you?" Accelerator asked.

"No," Jaune replied. "You are free to stay back because you are not technically a student of Beacon. This is an official mission for us." Jaune made up the reason on the spot. He figured Accelerator would not be pleased about the real reason.

"Good." He turned his attention back to the video game and systematically crushed Nora, while letting Last Order win.

"I actually kind of want him to come," Pyrrha whispered to Jaune and Ren. "Think of how much he could accomplish with his skill."

"Maybe once he opens up a little bit," Ren muttered back. "I know people like him. Something happened to cause him to remain guarded. It takes time."

"I bet if we get into trouble and call him," Jaune said amused. "He would come and help, but complain about it the entire time." Pyrrha and Ren could not resist smiling.

* * *

"Why have you two been slaying my minions?!" Wellen demanded. He had been navigating the area, slaying the weak monsters he encountered while enslaving the larger, stronger ones. He had around thirty monsters under his control, when a man and a woman showed up, demanding answers he was not willing to give. The man was tall, raggedy, and smelled like a drunk. The woman presented herself better with her clean red clothes, but the mask resembling the monsters he was claiming made him feel uneasy. It wasn't uncommon for people to worship darkness.

"You wouldn't serve me," the woman answered. "After I asked so nicely." She sliced another one of his creatures with a long thin blade growing blood red. It passed right through its neck without any resistance.

"You are going to have to excuse her," the man said. He wielded an enormous grey scythe that transformed from a sword. Two of Wellen's remaining creatures were cut down instantly. "She has trouble making friends. Must be because of having such a cool brother outshine her."

"Go to hell, Qrow," the woman snapped.

"I'm always in hell when I'm around you, Raven," Qrow teased.

"You two need to stop shoving your noses into my business," Wellen told them. "I have much bigger plans that keep getting interrupted by people like you." He was down to four monsters that resembled humanoid wolves. Water began to rise from a nearby lake and flow around him to act as a shield.

"What might those be?" Raven asked. "Do tell."

"But you made one mistake," Qrow added and held his scythe out in front of him. "As soon as you started controlling the Grimm, you became a threat. Come with me willingly and we can sort this out. Otherwise, a lot more people are going to come after you." He paused. "And they won't be nearly as nice as us. Then there are some you don't want to attract their attention. Controlling the Grimm is going to piss her off."

"Ignore him," Raven interrupted. "Join my tribe and your abilities won't be wasted in something as absurd as being an experiment. We are made of the strong and you definitely qualify."

"Heh," Wellen laughed. "I'm tired of being a pawn of someone else. What I have planned is far greater than this world could imagine." He held out his hand to the remaining Grimm. "On my signal!" he ordered. Whips of water flew from him at the pair, but they dodged with inhuman speed. "Minions, char-…" He stopped, along with Raven and Qrow.

A dark presence fell over the area.

"What is this feeling!?" Wellen demanded. The pressure began to cause his heart to beat rapidly and he felt a burning in his eye. He raised his hand and moved a smooth surface of water over it to create a mirror. His eyes widened. His right eye had turned red and black lines began to spread outwards toward his skin. He turned his gaze to the two people in front of him, but they seemed to be looking around for whatever was causing the dark presence. Something else happened that only Wellen could feel too. His hold on his Grimm began to weaken, but he managed to clamp it down before they broke free.

"She can't be here," Raven growled and kept glancing around. "We are too far away."

"Must be one of her entourage," Qrow growled.

"Interesting." The cold female voice caused everyone to freeze. Wellen turned around to see another Grimm floating behind him, which resembled a jellyfish. It had a small, spherical bodies covered with bone-like plates, red tentacles and a single glowing eye. The female voice was coming from it. "So, you are the man who has been controlling my children. What is your name?"

"Wellen Fischer. And what do you mean by children?"

"Don't listen to her!" Qrow yelled at him. "She will only corrupt you."

"Damn it!" Raven growled. "We are surrounded." Grimm began to emerge from the woods around them, while several large birds and Grimm resembling griffins flew above them.

"The Grimm you so thoughtlessly enslaved," the female voice told Wellen. "Whatever you did to them, is slowly affecting you. I can feel their power seeping into your body. Admittingly, I was planning to kill you, but my curiosity got the better of me. Would you care to talk? If not, we will leave and you will be at the mercy of those two. Answer yes, and you will be safe." Wellen looked around at the number of Grimm converging on them.

"You fool!" the woman yelled at him. "If you agree to her terms, your humanity is forfeit!"

"Salem only lies!" Qrow shouted. "Whatever you are searching for, this is not the right choice!"

"What if I'm searching for a way to give up my humanity," Wellen told them. Ignoring the man's darkened face, he turned to the jellyfish Grimm. "Salem, is it? Fine, I accept. I'll meet with you."

"Excellent."

The ground around them began to crack. A second later, a dozen King Taijitu emerged.

"Well, fuck!" Qrow was not amused.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **Current Ship Names:**

 **Yang and Touma: Fistbump / Punchline/ Imagine Dragon/ Love at First Punch**

 **Weiss and Touma: Cool to the Touch / Princess and the Pauper / Shattered Mirror**

 **Ruby and Touma: Blossoming / Thorny Rose / Speedy Rescue**

 **Blake and Touma: Nine Lives / Bad Luck / Kami-Nyaan**

 **Velvet and Touma: Bunny Couple / Rabbit's Foot**

 **Penny and Touma: Android's Dream / Faulty Electronics**

 **Ren and Touma: Lotus Fist**

 **Jaune and Touma: Better Luck Next Time**

 **Nora and Touma: Glutton for Punishment / Divine Sparks**

 **Pyrrha and Touma: Babe Magnet**

 **Coco and Touma: Black Coffee**

 **Glynda and Touma: Teacher's Pet / Promise Lands**

 **Adam and Touma: Chronic Crusaders**

 **Emerald and Touma: Shattered Illusions / Illusion Breaker / Portmanteau Poverty**

 **Twins and Touma: Triple Threat / Cerberus**

 **Cinder and Touma: Through the Fire and Flame / Fire Demons / Sinner and Savior**

 **Neo and Touma: Uncertain Flavor / Breaking Reality**

 **Salem and Touma: Burning Witch / Light and Shadow / Shattering Darkness**

 **Accelerator and Weiss: Cold and Calculating / Ice Vector / A Frosty Reception**

 **Accelerator and Yang: Road Rage / Short Fuse / Way of the Dragon**

 **Accelerator and Ruby: One-Way Rose / No Brakes / Rose Manipulation**

 **Accelerator and Blake: Twilight Arrow / Chain and Sickly / Chasing Shadows**

 **Accelerator and Nora: Shattered Bones / Broken Dreams / Nerve Impulse**

 **Accelerator and Velvet: White Flash / Hopping Mad**

 **Accelerator and Glynda: Fix and Destroy**

 **Accelerator and Penny: String Theory/ Broken Toys**

 **Accelerator and Sun: Sunny and Sullen**

 **Accelerator and Adam: Charging Bull**

 **Accelerator and Mercury: Killer Moves**

 **Accelerator and Coco: Fashionable Disaster**

 **Accelerator and Pyrrha: Opposites Attract**

 **Accelerator and Raven: Yang's Nightmare**


	13. Discovery

**This chapter does focus a bit more on the RWBY cast, but for good reason. While Ozpin is the type of person to want to make full use of a resource, an uncontrollable power like Accelerator would make him hesitant to send him on a mission immediately unless there was no other choice. However, this gives the perfect opportunity to combine both of the main parallel plot lines into one. There were a few lines I took from the RWBY show in this chapter, mainly because it was funny and went along with the events. I did try to keep the differences prevalent and have the characters act accordingly. Zwei has not shown up yet, so team RWBY will have to make due with team JNPR. Kind of a downgrade, but what can you do?**

 **The Rupture: Touma has the ability to turn people good, so if he ever met her, there is a good chance it could happen. Your question makes me imagine Salem and Ozpin meeting with Touma as a mediator.**

 **popcornPAR: Across the dimensions, he knows Kami-yan is up to something with girls.**

 **accelerator: Well yes, but there is no need for white winged Accelerator anytime soon. Dust and Dark Matter vectors are still different.**

 **LL: Don't think Tsuchimikaido will be making a guest appearance anytime soon. Touma always has the strangest allies and Neo has had the most direct contact with him. What makes you think Salem doesn't already know something about him? If the Grimm are acting strangely, she might be investigating. As for the rogue magic user, he's a bridge for Salem to increase the power of her forces. If the good side gets Touma and Accelerator, the evil side needs a little bit extra too. Being able to manipulate water and use it to control minds could be very useful to Salem. It depends what kind of deal they make or if the magician gets corrupted. He got nerfed again, but just because he's gotten weaker, doesn't mean others have gotten stronger. When the time comes, I'll have to make that decision about her illusions.**

 **shiroryuu012: That's always Touma's end goal. He just wants to show people what they are doing is wrong and give them a second chance. Others are just not always so forgiving.**

 **Salvare: In the middle of a fight, Roman will still be Roman. He can make a slip of a tongue. Remember, he only pretends to like them around Touma. Touma is easily too busy worried about the people being attacked.**

 **ultron emperor: You want Accelerator to have a harem?**

 **dickythamrin077: Pyrrha fought admirably. They had to try things that people at Academy City already knew wouldn't work, but the theory was sound. If Accelerator is going to lose, there is going to be a real reason and not just something pulled out of my ass. Salem has always been operating behind the scenes, but the main RWBY cast won't meet her for a bit. I've been toying around with what happens if the magician gets completely consumed by the Grimm power. Blake x Touma is a popular ship, but I think it's mostly because she met him early on.**

 **Sonic: Thanks.**

 **SpiderhunterXXX: Glad you are enjoying it.**

 **Formboy1: I think Pyrrha actually enjoyed the fight. She's no longer undefeatable. No, I think you are missing something important. Touma will definitely meet others before Accelerator and Last Order. Neo would defiantly have a hard time fighting Accelerator, escaping? Not so much. Yeah, my main one has that problem sometimes, to many people in one scene. When that happens, you have to try to break them up as much as possible into groups. Misaka and Othinus are two people have been wanting to see. I want to see the Aqua fight and British Halloween in season three.**

 **KnightOfZaku: I have Accelerator's grand entrance planned out and they can see what kind of fighter he truly is. Now, it's someone else's turn to get a chance. The White Fang would just be shooting themselves when their bullets get reflected. No his fault at all.**

 **A certain guest: Yang is usually right in that regard. This Accelerator, remember, is after the Othinus arc, so he can use his white wings. Though, after the healing, it might be a little more difficult since his power is kind of off. Maiden power is magical in nature, so it would be like reflecting magic, which he can do now. So Cinder shouldn't be an issue. Salem, we have not seen her power yet, so we can't say for sure she can't hurt Accelerator. Grimm won't stand a chance for sure though. The theory he made was to use the Misaka Network as Idol theory for a river that can cover the world. It's magic, but using a science component. It would help him become a magic god by controlling the rivers of time. I'll make that omake at some point.**

 **Vault166: I liked one of your Neo X Touma ones.**

 **cloud666: Thanks**

 **wiliamsusanto: Couldn't think of a way for him to lose and make it convincing.**

 **WiliamZ0: Accelerator does like to be amused. Touma and the teams shall face off in an epic battle. There's so little revealed about the Grimm, that I have a lot of leeway to do things.**

 **Guest: 1) Probably. Not sure if they will get names and become important. 2) Winter is still in Atlas, but she might arrive if General Ironwood learns about Accelerator or Touma.**

 **Croniklerx: I time it perfectly so you will THINK there is no Touma and then there is. Even if Touma somehow escapes Roman's clutches, he can never escape Neo. Nothing can keep her somewhere she doesn't want to be. It's easy to write Touma if you are starting at the beginning of Railgun/Index timeline, but after he went through all those adventures with Gods, magicians, powerful ability users, he has to change a little, even if his core has not. Though, when you are trapped in another world and someone offers you help, not a lot of ways to detect if they are evil or not off the bat. Some information has to be explained, even if it's not the most exciting thing in the chapter. I was hoping the cliff hanger would be obvious to people on who the leader was, but if ONE person shouted angrily at the screen, it was worth it. Those Scrolls are Ozpin's personal listening devices if he desires. Ozpin can't afford to piss of Glynda, she runs the school. The author note up top shouldn't be taken seriously most of the time. It's to vent a bit, or explain something that can't be mentioned in the story. Wellen is an OC, so I don't want to put him in the spotlight too much, but he is away for me to balance out the power of both sides. Part of me thought you might have read the Touma part more closely and thus caught more issues. I do want Roman to live, but I'll let the chips fall where they may. There are quite a few reasons why Touma has not pursued a lot of girls. I might have him cover them with someone. Well, since Season 5, episode 3, Jaune is going to have training to unlock his semblance. Don't want to spoil stuff, so trust me on that.**

 **Guest: That was WHY it was Accelerator and not Mikoto. Originally, I was planning for Touma and Mikoto, but thought: Hey, why not do stuff with Accelerator? RWBY could use more males. As for magic, we still don't know how powerful these relics are. Aqua actually isn't here. It's an OC magician. They will probably meet Cinder at some time. Blake x Accelerator? Really? Why? I don't think Blake has the people skills to break Accelerator's shell.**

 **IlluminatiAnimeLover789: RWBY shippers is a huge thing in their fan base and Touma Kamijou is popular to pair with girls in the Index series. I just added more options when they were combined. Yang's Nightmare might become reality, if Accelerator meets Rave. She wants strong people and Accelerator could easily prove that to her. Accelerator and Neo will defiantly be hard to pair and make it natural. Accelerator might not hate her because she's quiet. If you have read the LN, after the Othinus arc, Accelerator has toned down quite a bit, unless you threaten Last Order or a few others. Then he tears off your arm without hesitation. He's going to show his more sadistic side when he slaughters Grimm. Neo, well, we see her around Touma and there she acts like a perfect girl for him. Outside of that, I made references to the fear she inspires into others, as well as some of the things she has done.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

"While we still have time before arriving at the destination, I feel it would be good to go over the mission perimeters. The headmaster no doubted briefed you on Mt. Glenn's history and, should the situation allow for it, I will go over it in much greater detail." A collective groan echoed around the ship. Dr. Bartholomew Oobleck, History teacher at Beacon Academy and fully licensed Hunter looked over Team RWBY and Team JNPR. He was a rather young man, with messy green hair and brown eyes. His entire attire was disheveled and consisted of a long brown great coat, khaki buttoned safari shirt, and a yellow tie. Lastly, a pair of opaque glasses donned his nose. "Remember children, those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it." He zipped in front of them at speeds far greater than a normal person.

"When we were told we would be assigned a Hunter," Yang whispered to Pyrrha. "I thought we would get someone… used to the field?"

"Do you have something to ask, Yang?" Bartholomew asked.

"Well," Yang said hesitantly. "I guess I just never saw you as much as a fighter."

"I admit I fancy myself more as an intellectual," Bartholomew replied. "But I can assure you, as a Hunter, I have had my fair share of tussles."

"Like the mushroom?" Ruby asked.

"Those are truffles," Blake answered.

"Like the sprout?"

"Those are Brussels," Yang answered this time.

"Eww," Nora added.

"As this mission is more than a simply Grimm extermination outing," Bartholomew continued. "We are also examining Mt. Glenn for answers as to why the Grimm are gathering at a much greater pace than before. Given my expertise in the field of history, as well as my dabbling in the architectural surveys, our dear headmaster saw it fit to assign me to this particular assignment."

"Why would history be important here?" Weiss asked.

"What a preposterous question, you silly girl," Bartholomew said shocked. "Why, history is the backbone of our very society! And the liver! And probably the kidneys if I were to wager!" He turned to everyone. "The reason history is important here is it is because in the past, we have been monitoring the Grimm's occupation of the area, given Mt. Glenn's close proximity to Vale. Without studying the past, we would have no idea about the present situation! Now, while we have a couple minutes before touchdown, let us go over the perimeters. Each team, what is your primary objective?"

"Team RWBY will be charged with determining why Grimm activity has increased," Ruby declared.

"Team JNPR will be charged with killing said Grimm," Nora half shouted, as she punched the air. She had answered because Jaune was leaning over a trashcan with Pyrrha patting him on the back.

"One of the tasks will be much easier than the other," Bartholomew said with a chuckle. "Now, I believe there was some changes in the group line up?" Blake, Weiss, and Ren noticed he never said which one would be easier.

"That would be Ren and Yang" Blake volunteered.

"I'm much better at punching than examining," Yang laughed.

"And that is precisely why your grades are suffering," Bartholomew reminded her, sobering her up at once. "One should never underestimate the merits of thinking through a problem to find a solution."

"Professor-…," Ren started to ask.

"Doctor!" Bartholomew interrupted. "I didn't earn the PhD for fun, thank you very much!"

"Doctor Oobleck," Ren amended. "Do you have any theories as to what is causing the increase in Grimm activity?"

"Several! However, until more information if readily available we would only be speculating. For now, we should find a trail to lead us through the quagmire and avoid wasting needless energy. Still, never dismiss a theory, regardless of how unlikely. If evidence found supports it."

"Where are we being dropped off at?" Blake asked.

"Near the southern entrance," Bartholomew answered. "There is a main road the bullhead can drop us off at."

"It's not staying?" Nora asked.

"Bullheads tend to draw Nevermores," Pyrrha answered. "It needs to leave before it's permanently grounded."

"Excellent explanation," Bartholomew congratulated her. He glanced at his watch. "We will touch down in less than two minutes. Prepare yourself." He glanced over at Jaune. "Who can tell me what our first two objectives are?"

"Kill the Grimm and start searching for clues?" Ruby asked.

"Incorrect." Bartholomew shook his head. "That is what will most likely occur while we work to achieve those objectives."

"Scout the area," Weiss answered. "We need to figure out where possible ambushes could occur, defendable locations, and lines for strategic retreats in case things go wrong."

"That is correct! Now, the second?"

"A place to set up camp," Blake answered. "We do not know how long we will have to be here. Our campsite has to be hidden, defendable, and accessible."

"Precisely," Bartholomew agreed with a nod. "The mission perimeters grant us one week at most to finish out mission. An Evac will be here then, unless we contact them earlier."

"A week?!" Yang cried out. "Out here? Without a shower!?" Weiss's lips were pressed shut and she remained silent, but she looked similarly disgruntled.

"As Hunters," Pyrrha tried to explain. "This is to be expected. We could be off in the wilds for weeks at a time if the situation requires it. We might as well get used to it."

"Ren and I are used to it," Nora exclaimed in her usually bubbly tone. "We went camping all the time when we were younger." Ren nodded.

"What about you, Jaune?" Ruby asked. "Are you ready?"

"Herp." That was Jaune's reply as he glanced up for only a second from the trashcan.

"I'll take that as a yes," Ruby said and backed a little further away.

"If any gets on me, Vomit Boy!" Yang declared. "You're dead!"

"I…got it, ugh," Jaune gurgled back.

"Touch down in one minute," the pilot notified them over the intercom.

"Places everyone!" Bartholomew ordered. The two groups stood up and grabbed the hand holds on the ceiling to stabilize themselves as the Bullhead began to descend. "Remember, this is the location of one of history's greatest failure and lays abandoned, but that doesn't mean it's useless. We can learn from it to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past."

"And use it for a hideout," Blake muttered bitterly.

"Precisely," Bartholomew agreed and adjusted his glasses. His tone changed enough so that everyone understood his meaning. _The White Fang could be here._ Jaune even managed to contain his motion sickness for a few seconds. The Bullhead lurched as it bounced against the ground and they all jumped out before it came to a complete stop.

"Finally, sweet land!" Jaune cried.

"That ride was dull," Nora added, "It's time to kick Grimm butt!"

"I can get behind that," Yang joined in and punched the air.

"There will be plenty of time for that," Bartholomew told them. "Ladies and gentleman, you may still be students, but as of this moment, your first mission as Hunters and Huntresses has begun. From this point on, you need to do exactly as I say. Do you all understand?"

"Yes!" came the chorus of voices.

"Firstly, besides the two points we discussed on the ride here, we will start heading north. Keep an eye out for possible advantage points, choke holds, and memorize the route we take. Our first campground will also serve as our fallback location and meeting point if anyone gets separated. While we have our Scrolls to contact each other, there is always the chance they run out of power or break."

"There are a lot of buildings still standing," Ruby noticed. "It shouldn't be that hard to find a campground."

"There are a lot of things to consider, Ruby," Weiss huffed. "While the outsides may seem durable, years of decay could weaken the structural integrity."

"I would prefer not to be crushed to death while we sleep," Ren agreed. "Any building best be examined thoroughly."

"We don't want 'crushed by a building' on our tombstones," Yang pointed out. "It would be an embarrassment."

"Uh, guys," Jaune spoke up. No one seemed to hear him except Pyrrha.

"What's wrong, Jaune?"

"We have company." Pyrrha turned to look where he was pointing and saw a lone Beowolf walking out of an alley between two buildings in the distance. "Grimm!" That attracted everybody's attention and they finally noticed the lone Grimm in the distance. The sounds of weapons being drawn broke the silence.

"Hang on," Bartholomew ordered. "As you know, there are many reasons why Grimm congregate at a location. Negativity being a big one. Sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred all attract them. Mt. Glenn harbors an enormous amount of lingering negativity due to its fall and is why Grimm naturally come to this area. The recent upsurge is a sign something here is attracting them. Most likely a group harboring ill intent."

"The White Fang?" Weiss asked and Blake pursed her lips.

"It is a possibility we must consider," Bartholomew agreed.

"So, what now?" Ruby asked.

"We kill it," Yang and Nora answered together.

"No!" Bartholomew told them sternly. "We wait."

"Why?" Pyrrha asked. "I thought our mission was to thin the Grimm population."

"It is indeed," Bartholomew agreed, but held up a finger. "We shall do just that. However, what can you tell me what is unusual about that Grimm?" Team RWBY and JNPR looked at the Beowolf sniffing the air.

"It's alone," Ren finally answered.

"And Beowolves tend to travel in packs," Weiss added.

"So where is the rest of it?" Jaune asked.

"Most likely nearby and following the negativity emitted by our prey," Bartholomew answered. "Which is why we shall wait and follow it from a distance. Once we find the pack, there is a good chance we shall discover our objective."

"Huh," Yang commented, sounding impressed. "That's a good idea, Doc."

"I am not a fully licensed Hunter for nothing."

"So how long do we wait?" Nora asked.

"It's uncertain." Bartholomew rubbed his chin. "Hours, days, weeks? We do not know why Grimm isolate themselves from their pack and then rejoin it as if nothing happened. Perhaps, it is something on an instinctive level."

"Or maybe the pack is nearby," squeaked Jaune.

"Why do you say tha… oh." Weiss started to snap and turned around. Jaune was looking behind them and she saw another twenty Beowolves approaching them silently. "Behind us!" The second she warned the others, more Beowolves began to appear from behind buildings near the lone one.

"It's a trap!" Jaune yelled.

"Nonsense," Bartholomew dismissed him. "Our Bullhead was simply noticed by more than we would have liked, but this amount is not large enough to warrant a retreat. In fact, it seems like a good opportunity to practice with your new teammates. Team RWBY, take care of the Grimm in front of us. Team JNPR, take care of those behind us."

"Seems like a trap," Ruby mumbled so softly that only Blake heard. She gave a slight jerk of her head to indicate agreement.

"What will you be doing then?" Yang asked.

"I shall be scanning the ruins for irregularities concerning our mission."

 _So you aren't going to help fight?_ The thought passed through both teams mind in varying degrees of respect. They did what they were told and each group moved.

* * *

"Nora!" Jaune yelled out. "Take the left. Yang, the right! Pyrrha and I have middle! Tight formation, don't let them between us."

"Roger Fearless Leader!" Nora cheered and swung her hammer at the first Grimm to reach her. With a resounding crack, as the jaw broke, the Beowolf was sent flying.

"Got it!" Yang called out and delivered an uppercut to break the jaw of another. Then she delivered a left hook into its gut to send it flying back into another Beowolf. She peaked a glanced over at Jaune, who she was worried about. He was the weakest person in their combat class and regularly got beaten by Cardin. He had managed to improve immensely, but she wasn't sure how proficient he was at actually fighting Grimm. She only heard Nora's tales about his achievements in the field. The last combat class only showed off his quick thinking.

She didn't have to worry.

Jaune's skills may have been lower than they should have been, but he managed to block the first two Beowolves that reached him. One smashed up against his shield and his sword blocked the claws of the second. Jaune staggered from the blows, but managed to hold his ground. The moment they were stopped, Pyrrha took the opportunity to strike. She wasn't a four time champion for nothing. She threw her shield at one of the Grimm in the head while simultaneously charging forward. Without missing a beat, she grabbed the shield in midair when it flew back at her while stabbing her sword into the skull of the other. The second one died while the first one leaned back in a daze. Jaune took the opportunity to deliver two strikes to its torso to finish it. Team JNP plus Y could easily handle a few Grimm by themselves, but the main group was about to reach them like a tidal wave.

"Group up, now!" Jaune ordered.

"Yang!" Pyrrha called out. "Cover our back when they flank!"

"On it!" Yang answered instantly. There wasn't time to argue and she agreed to follow Jaune's order when on their team. This wasn't how Team RWBY normally fought. Each of them were skilled in their own right and could handle groups of Grimm on their own. They had a few code words for a couple team combinations, but full team tactics like what JNPR was doing was new to her. There wasn't much her fists couldn't handle and she preferred the direct approach when fighting.

She couldn't deny results.

The wave collided against Jaune's shield and it took all his strength to hold his position. Only one or two Grimm could attack him head one. The others had to move around them, where they met Nora's hammer and Pyrrha's blade. Nora was given a wide berth to swing her hammer. Three Beowolves were blown away with a single swing. Being the smallest person on her team had nothing to do with her ridiculous strength that even Yang didn't like to go head to head with. The ones lucky enough to go on the side opposite of Nora found themselves at the mercy of Pyrrha's dexterous fighting style. Her blade moved at speeds that it was virtually just flashes of light, precise enough to strike the critical points of the Grimm, and she was agile enough to dodge any counter attacks they managed to unleash. While also lending Jaune support with her own shield.

 _This style is a little boring,_ Yang thought to herself, as her gauntlets cocked and fired a couple dust shells at a few Grimm try to get around Pyrrha and Nora. One jumped over Nora when she swung her hammer and Yang moved forward to deliver a punch strong enough to send it flying. _But I can't deny the results._ She only had to strike one or two Beowolves at a time, so it was easily manageable. She had tougher fights back home in Patch. Jaune, on the other hand, was praying he wouldn't die.

 _Oh shit, oh shit. Oh shit!_ Jaune's shield arm was on fire with each clash, but he couldn't let up. His best attribute was his durability. Ridiculously high aura and tons of practice being a punching bag in class made him a very good tank. Combined with Pyrrha's teaching, he could actually counterattack. This didn't mean he wasn't scared of Grimm, but he at least had experience dealing with them, just not in these numbers. He raised his sword and struck another one across the neck and it fell, decaying into a black mist. He looked over his shield and saw the street empty. "Was that the last of them?" he asked, panting slightly.

"I think so," Pyrrha confirmed. "Should we check on the others?"

"They will be fine," Nora dismissed her worries. "Ren's with them and he won't let them fail." She grinned. "I bet I killed more Grimm than him."

"Ruby probably took down most of them before they even closed in," Yang laughed, but looked slightly worried as she turned around. "Let's regroup just in case." Jaune gave a nod and motioned them back.

* * *

Gunfire rang out from Ruby, Ren, and Blake.

Ruby was able to fire her high caliber sniper rifle first. Due to its power, she could take the Beowolves down long before Blake's and Ren's handguns could do any real damage. The problem was the recoil of such a powerful blast usually sent her flying backwards. Thanks to her training, she was actually used to this and combined her movements with the recoil. Because she wanted to stay in one place, she planted the tip of her scythe firmly in the ground to avoid being knocked backwards. It only took one bullet to take down one Beowolf if she hit them in the head. Once they finally closed it, she raised her weapon and disappeared in a flurry of rose petals, before appearing behind a couple of them. A quick spin and the blade cut the Grimm in half.

Blake transformed her gun back into a sword and calmly walked forward. The first Beowolf reached her and slashed at her torso with its large claws. Blake didn't even try to dodge at the blades tore into her. Then her body faded away and as one of her clones took the blow. She appeared above it and brought her blade straight down through the Grimm's chest. Two more slashed at her and she leaped above them by using another shadow clone as a springboard. She used her sheath like a cleaved and crushed the first Grimm's head and then used the blade to slash through the arm of the second. Another quick slash using her ribbon to extend the reach of her sword finished off a third about to reach her.

Weiss stood calmly, her feet planted firmly, and her rapier held parallel to the ground in front of her. A column of Grimm was running at her and she was waiting for the perfect chance to strike. She had range attacks, but she was planning to conserve dust as much as possible since they did not know what all they would be facing. A white glyph appeared behind her and she was propelled forward at high speeds without even moving her feet. The Grimm went flying as she delivered a power blow to each one of them. She skidded to a stop and jumped into the air to avoid another claw and delivered a series of jab at the perpetrator.

Ren kept firing as the Beowolves closed in on him. This style of group fighting was a little different than what he was used to. Team JNPR tended to fight as a single unit, while Team RWBY fought more on an individual basis. This didn't mean Ren was helpless. He and Nora had fought plenty of Grim together and separately. The first few Beowolves fell before they could get anywhere near him. When they finally closed the gap, he charged forward. Skidding on his knees, he dodged the outstretched claws while he slashed at their ankle. When they fell, he leaped up into the air and continued to deliver a flurry of quick, consecutive slashes at the Grimm behind them.

"Ozpin wasn't kidding when he told you there would be a lot of Grimm," Weiss said to Ruby, panting slightly, after the four of them finally finished off the remaining Grimm. They almost seemed endless, but at least there weren't any Alphas. That is when Beowolves seemed to develop team tactics. "Did we get them all?"

"Looks like it," Ruby confirmed and collapsed her scythe for easy storage. "How are the others?"

"They seemed to have finished," Blake commented and sheathed her blade. "Should we regroup?"

"That's probably a good idea," Ren said. "Nora might get antsy if we don't, thinking we are trying to keep the Grimm for ourselves."

"I'm sure there will be enough Grimm to satisfy even her," Weiss pointed out. "If this area was any indication."

"Hey, Ren?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, Ruby?"

"Are you okay with how our team fights?"

"It's different," Ren said truthfully, but gave her a reassuring smile. "But that is to be expected. Everyone has their own strategies and what works for Team JNPR will not always work for Team RWBY." Ruby seemed satisfied with his answers and Weiss didn't even comment on it. Blake felt Ren was right and there was no need to say anything. The wind changed direction and she looked over her shoulder as they headed back to Bartholomew. He had been examining the ground and walls of the buildings. When both teams returned, he looked up.

"Good job," he told them. "But I am sure this is just the first bout of many."

"Yay…" most of the students said sarcastically.

"Yay!" That came from Nora.

* * *

"I can't believe it," Nora complained. "I'm actually getting tired of killing Grimm."

"Aren't we all," Weiss muttered darkly. "That was what, the fifth pack today? Not counting the small groups of Ursa or the Deathstalker?"

"When we were told it was an extermination mission," Jaune said softly, as not to attract Bartholomew's attention. "I knew there would be Grimm, but I figured it was only thinning the numbers, not take down everything that moves."

"It does seem odd," Ruby agreed. "I figured you four would be keeping the Grimm away from us while we searched for clues."

"Doctor Oobleck hasn't been just watching us," Pyrrha pointed out. "He's been examining every area we cross."

"But he hasn't been fighting the Grimm with us," Yang complained and finally addressed Bartholomew directly. "Hey doc! You know, I was looking forward to seeing a pro Huntsman in action. You know, like fighting, or at least helping out?"

"Ah! But I have been helping out," Bartholomew explained. "I have been scouting these once great ruins for any signs of irregularities. Not every mission is going to be the same and some require a more delicate touch. I believe the headmaster informed you of this during Glynda's class?"

"Yes," Blake confirmed. "So what exactly have you found?"

"All the areas we have currently visited are clean," Bartholomew informed them. "There is no indication anyone or thing have been here besides Grimm." He rubbed his chin. "I did not expect anything on the first day, but the number of Grimm we encountered has been slightly worrisome. The further into the city we get, the greater numbers to be expected. These numbers should not have been present until the end of the second or early in the third."

"Something is indeed drawing them into the city," Ren pointed out. "This is the only reason that makes sense. Even areas of high negativity don't just see increases like what was observed here, unless more is added."

"So the White Fang really is here," Weiss stated and Blake glanced over at her.

"We do not know that for certain," Bartholomew reminded her. "But it does appear quite possible a group is here. While the White Fang is an obvious suspect, there could be others. There are plenty of organizations that like to operate outside the laws of the kingdom."

"But it's incredibly dangerous to set up outside the walls," Pyrrha pointed out. "Let alone an area _known_ to have a high Grimm population."

"Unless the White Fang have a way to keep the Grimm back," Blake muttered. Everyone turned toward her.

"Are you referring to the boy who can repel Grimm?" Bartholomew asked. "The one who was seen in the company of a certain Roman Torchwick?"

"You know about that!?" Ruby asked amazed.

"I can assure you, Ruby. The Headmaster briefed me quite thoroughly on the topic before we departed." Bartholomew turned back to Blake. "Since we are laying everything out in the open, we do believe the White Fang is operating here. The question is, why? Are they using it as a staging ground for future operations against Vale or perhaps a training or research facility?"

"Wouldn't it be a lot of trouble to keep moving back and forth between here and Vale?" Nora asked.

"It would be," Weiss confirmed. "Even with the boy's power, he would have to keep traveling back and forth and that would limit the number of trips they could make. Plus, if he was ever lost or captured, they would lose their own safe passage."

"They might have ways to travel that are relatively secure," Pyrrha pointed out. "We can rule out the possibility of this base being operational before he arrived."

"This boy," Bartholomew asked Blake. "I was informed you actually met him. Could you give me your impression of him?"

 _How did he know?_ Blake thought to herself. He didn't seem interested in reprimanding her, so she figured she might as well be honest. "If I had to describe him, it would be confused?"

"Confused?"

"He doesn't seem to understand that Torchwick is a criminal," Blake elaborated. "And that was taken advantage of. He was fed a combination of lies and truth to believe the White Fang is some kind of resistance group, like it was originally, rather than a terrorist organization, while Hunters are some kind of enforcers that harass the civilians."

"But what about him as an individual?" Bartholomew pressed on.

"Honest?" Blake continued, slightly confused at what he was asking for. "He was rather forthcoming with his power to negate and repel Grimm. I learned a lot of what he was told. Torchwick was rather clever in how he presented the information."

"The best lies always contain a grain of truth," Ren commented.

"Precisely," Bartholomew agreed with a nod. "History is full of such things and historians spend a great deal of time sorting through information to uncover the falsehoods."

"Oh!" Nora spoke up. "Tell him about how he saved your life."

"Shush," Jaune told her. "That's not relevant."

"It totally is," interrupted Yang. "Seems like Blakey here was saved by him and she developed a crush on him."

"Not the time for your delusions," Blake hissed at her partner.

"Come on, you know it's true."

"Interesting," Bartholomew murmured. "From what you told me, he seems like a fine young man who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"That's why we have to help him!" Ruby said excitedly.

"That was a consensus among our group," Pyrrha agreed. "We all want to."

"He does seem like someone of strong character," Weiss conceded. "Last Order really wants us to find him too."

"If he is indeed there," Bartholomew told the group. "We will definitely do everything we can to make him see the truth. Be warned, people who have been convinced into a certain line of thinking can be difficult to sway." He looked out to the parts of the city they had yet reached. "We have a few more spots to check today." There was a collective groan. "But I believe I have found a place for us to set up camp tonight." The mood changed dramatically. With the sun beginning to set, it would be dark in a few hours and finding a place to set up camp in the dark would be exponentially more difficult and dangerous. "We need to get some rest because the next couple of days are sure to be taxing."

"I could use some sleep," Yang yawned. "As long as our kitty doesn't keep me up with her sleep talk about that boy."

Blake glared at her, while Nora, Jaune, and Ruby snickered. Everyone there knew Blake was a Faunus, even Bartholomew, since he was a teacher. That didn't mean she had to appreciate it.

* * *

"I'm going to be sore tomorrow," Weiss grumbled, as she flopped down on her sleeping bag. The two groups had found a building in relatively good condition. Though part of the roof and wall was torn off, a good portion of it still provided shelter and prevented the fire they set up from alerting the remaining Grimm in the surrounding area. The missing portion also allowed them to look out across the city. Once the fire was set up and Bartholomew took Jaune and Ruby away to explain how the perimeter detail would work, the rest of the kids collapsed. It had been a long day for all of them. "I thought the reason we gave you all Yang was so you could take care of most of the Grimm."

"Once Doctor Oobleck finds a trail to follow," Pyrrha replied. "I'm sure your team will be busy investigating."

"And here I thought we gave Yang to them to get a break from her puns," Blake said in a monotone.

"Ouch!" Yang sobbed sarcastically and placed a hand over her heart dramatically. "Kitty has claws tonight. Seriously," she added with a grin. "My jokes are hilarious."

"No, they are not," Weiss stated flatly and Blake nodded her head in agreement.

"You two are way too serious to know a good joke if it hit you in the forehead," Yang said with a roll of her eyes. "My jokes are _pun_ tastic. Eh, eh?" She turned to the others after Weiss and Blake glared at her. Nora shrugged and Ren remained stony faced. "Come on, P-money. That was a good one."

"It was… umm… maybe you might need to… practice a little more?" Pyrrha finally told her. Even Pyrrha couldn't lie to Yang to save her feelings after that joke. The most she could do was try to be somewhat encouraging.

"You all suck!" Yang cried out.

"Did you kill enough Grimm today, Nora?" Ren asked.

"Yeah," Nora answered beaming. "I'm actually kind of tired of it." There were gasps from all around her and she laughed. "A good night's sleep and I'll be back to my old Grimm killing self."

"For a second there," Pyrrha said. "You had us worried." Nora only laughed and plopped down on her bag. The fire was warm and the chilly night wasn't going to be a problem because of it.

"Do you think we are actually going to find the White Fang here?" Yang finally asked, breaking the silence.

"I think so," Blake admitted, though it pained her. Team JNPR didn't know she was a former member of the White Fang, only that she was a Faunus. They did learn she had spied on a White Fang rally and that's how she met Touma. "Everything we know about them adds up. I think Oobleck was just trying to keep an open mind, but he probably knows they are here."

"Do you think it will be easy to convince Touma Kamijou that Torchwick is lying to him?" Weiss asked.

"I think he will at least listen to us," Blake told them. "He was willing to talk when I was a captive and divulged a lot of information, something someone on their guard would never have done."

"That's a good start," Pyrrha spoke up. "But we have to get him away from the White Fang first."

"There lies the problem," Weiss huffed and crossed her arms. "They won't give up such a useful power such as his without a fight. We have to stop them from fleeing with him if you want a chance to speak with him."

"So, what?" Yang asked. "Once we find their base, one team causes a distraction while the other team sneaks around to kidnap him?"

"Can I kidnap him?" Nora asked innocently. "I could knock him unconscious if he doesn't want to come."

"We want to avoid injuring him and turning him against us," Ren pointed out to her and she sighed before flopping back down on her bag.

"I can be stealthy and nice," Nora complained.

"Of course you can," Ren agreed with a small smile.

"I still think our priority should be to figure out what the White Fang is doing out there," Weiss told the others. "Rescuing one person is an additional objective."

"Don't be that way, Weiss Queen," Yang grunted. "We have plenty of opportunity to do both. Besides, I doubt Ruby and Vomit Boy are going to want to leave him. You all know what they are like." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Still," Pyrrha fretted. "I would hate to be the one to have to make the choice between saving a life and bringing back information."

"Then we simply do both!" Nora declared. "No ifs, ands, or buts!"

"I like your optimism," Yang told her and they high fived.

"We will have to wait and see what we find," Blake commented mildly, but inside she was glad her friends were willing to do whatever they could to help. She did owe the boy for saving her, twice, and getting him away from Roman would take away a powerful tool. It was both personal and professional. Her ears under her bow twitched and she turned to the steps leading up to them. "They are back," she announced. The others turned when Ruby burst into their camp.

"A fire!" she cheered happily and rushed to sit next to it, while rubbing her hands together. "It's getting cold out there."

"Reason you were told to pack appropriately, Ruby," Bartholomew reminded her, as he and Jaune walked in. He looked around. "Good job at setting up camp for the night. I shall take first watch, as there are a few things I wish to check. It is advisable you all rest up. Tomorrow will be another long day." He turned and zipped down the stairs again.

"I have the next watch after him," Ruby informed the others. "Then Jaune, and we need one more person. Two hour shifts."

"I can do it," Pyrrha volunteered.

"It's pretty straight forward," Jaune yawned. "We found certain places you can keep an eye out from and you might need to move around if you spot anything strange. If we keep the door to the stairs locked, even if a Grimm sneaks passed us, it's going to wake everyone up."

"Because that's what we want to hear in the middle of the night," Weiss muttered dryly. "You two dolts better do your job right."

"So what have you all been talking about?" Ruby asked, after she tumbled onto her bag.

"Plans to kidnap Blake's boyfriend," Yang answered immediately and Nora nodded.

"I swear to god, Yang…" Blake hissed.

* * *

Ruby yawned, as she watched over the streets of Mt. Glenn.

The night had been pretty quiet except for the occasional howl in the far distance. She shivered slightly and pulled her cloak close. If she had been running around, the weather wouldn't have been too bad, but sitting still made it worse. She clutched Crescent Rose in its gun form as her eyes kept scanning the streets. Movement caught her attention and she peered through the scope to see a lone Beowolf. She could have sniped it from there, but Bartholomew told her to only fire when necessary. Loud noises would only alert more Grimm to their presence, as they were more active at night. Ruby lowered her weapon when it wandered away in an opposite direction as them.

 _What are we even looking for?_ Ruby thought to herself. _If there is a lot of White Fang activity, there should be some kind of sign._ Her leg fell asleep and a sudden spike of pain ran through her. _Ow! Stupid leg! Move already!_ She stood up and hopped around as the feeling slowly returned. When the prickling pain finally vanished, she looked around. "You know," she muttered to herself. "A quick walk around the building we are camping in wouldn't hurt. Stretch my legs and check to make sure no one is spying on us from the other side I can't see. Yeah, I won't be long…" Her muttering out loud was to convince herself because she didn't want to stay in one place. Quietly, she crept down from her spot and headed down the stairs. Making sure to lock the door behind her, she stepped out into the street.

 _Just a quick loop around the building,_ Ruby told herself again. She tiptoed around the building they were camped in and everything was still quiet. Eventually, she got bored of doing this too. "No Grimm, anywhere. We must have taken them all out except for a random straggler. I guess I can go further out. To make sure things are clear."

Even a block away, everything was calm and, with her speed, a block could be traveled almost instantly. For fun, she imagined herself a spy and would peek around corners before stepping out. No matter where she went, there were no signs of Grimm or White Fang activity. _I should head back_ , she thought, when she noticed how far away she traveled. She sighed, turned around, and was just about to take her first step when she heard something coming her way.

"What's the point of patrolling when we know the Grimm won't come near us?"

 _Oh, no!_ Ruby thought and bolted behind a pile of rubble. She clutched her weapon tightly in one hand, but kept it in rifle form. From her hiding place, she stuck her head up and watched three White Fang members walk past the building she was in. They all wore masks and uniforms, while holding standard dust rifles.

"As a precaution," one of the others muttered. "Some Grimm may decide they prefer our flesh more than they fear that kid."

"Kid's not that bad," the female said with a shrug. "You can tell he actually likes Faunus."

"I think it's more indifference," the first one said. "He treats us like anyone else."

"Aww," the second male laughed at the female. "Do you like the human?"

"What…?! No, gross." Ruby frowned. The woman's tone seemed a lot like Blake's when she was denying Yang's teasing. "He's still a human."

"True." They continued to walk away from Ruby and she was going to lose them soon.

 _Tail them or report back,_ Ruby thought to herself. They were moving out of sight, so she had to decide. _It sounds like Touma is here, but where? As long as they don't spot me, I could listen in. They might lead me to their base._ Ruby crept out of her hiding spot and began to follow them, using her speed to zip between hiding places. The three White Fang members continued talking, unaware she was there.

"Seems to be less Grimm than usual. I expected to see at least a few Beowolves."

"Idiot, remember what we were told? The longer the boy stays in one spot, the wider his range becomes. We might be able to turn all of Mt. Glenn into a utopia for Faunus."

 _Wow!_ Ruby gasped silently. _His power can do that?_

"I still hate that Torchwick guy. Do you hear what he calls us? He keeps the names down around the boy, but he slips up from time to time."

"I saw him work with other humans before. He treats everyone like that. Well, except those two."

"God, Neo scares the crap out of me. She can appear out of nowhere to surprise you and she is merciless."

"Boo!" the woman suddenly said behind the guy and he jumped.

"Not funny!"

"Oh, it was!" the woman laughed.

"Plus, Neo seems oddly attached to that boy," the other man snickered, which sobered up the female at once. "More than just for a one night stand at least."

 _One night stand?_ Ruby thought confused. _I'll have to ask Yang what that means later._

"As long as Neo wants that boy," the first guy laughed. "No one else has a chance. She seems possessive and anyone who tries to flirt with him won't live to see the morning."

"Enough about him," the female snapped irritated. "Let's finish this patrol and head back." The other two agreed and began to cross a rather open area. Ruby still couldn't see any signs of a base and sighed.

 _What now?_ Her Scroll suddenly buzzed and she jumped slightly in panic. Dashing behind the last building, she pulled out her Scroll and saw Jaune was trying to reach her. _He has the shift after me, so he's probably wondering where I am. I'll head back and let the others know what I found. We have proof the White Fang is here now._ She turned around and only just noticed how far she had gone. _Wow, I traveled a lot further than I should have. I can barely see the building._ She started walking back, debating if she should save her energy or sprint out, when she heard a crack. She instinctively stopped and looked around. _There's nothing there-…_ Ruby heard the crack again, this time much louder and she looked down.

The cracks were growing on the street directly below her and the concrete was breaking away to reveal a dark pit below.

"Nooooo!" Ruby cried, as she fell into the darkness.

* * *

"Where did she go?" Jaune muttered looking at his Scroll. There were several places Ruby could be that were out of his line of sight. There was also the possibility she was on patrol or silently taking out a Grimm that had wandered too close. _Should I notify the others?_ He pondered this for a moment. He normally would have waited and tried to contact Ruby later, but this time, they were in dangerous territory. He prepared himself for the battle ahead and walked over to Yang. He reached a hand over and shook her shoulder. "Yang-…?"

His words were cut short as a fist collided with his nose and he fell backwards.

"Huh... wha… I'm up," Yang mumbled and looked over her shoulder. "Jaune, what were you doing?" She grinned. "I didn't realize you were so bold."

"Ruby hasn't come back yet," Jaune told her, rather than getting caught up in Yang's jokes. He was too worried about his friend to even get embarrassed. "And hasn't answered her Scroll." This got Yang's attention and she was fully awake now.

"Let me try." Yang tried contacting Ruby and had the same luck Jaune had. "Ruby, what did you get yourself into?"

"I'm going to notify Oobleck and see what he recommends," Jaune told her. "Can you take a look around and see if she might have just fallen asleep at the post?"

"Yeah," Yang said with a nod and stood up. "Five minutes." She held out her hand for emphasis. "If we can't find her by then, we wake everyone else up."

"Deal," Jaune quickly agreed.

* * *

"Ow," Ruby groaned. "My head."

She opened her eyes to see she was in an underground cavern. High above her was the hole in the ceiling she had fallen though. If it wasn't for Aura, she would have died, or at least broken several bones. Right now, her body was just aching all over. Panic ran through her when she realized Crescent Rose wasn't there anymore. It must have slipped from her grasp on the surface. The fact she could see anything confused her for a moment. A darkened cave shouldn't have any light sources and the moonlight coming down from the hole above shouldn't be enough to illuminate much. Over the edge of the building in the distance, there was a greater source of light.

Ruby gasped.

There was an entire underground city below the surface. The buildings were in better shape, probably because they had been protected from some of the elements. _Wow,_ Ruby thought. _This must be where the White Fang are hiding. It's huge and protected from the Grimm._ A stronger light in the distance caught her attention and she started to walk toward the edge of the building she was on, avoiding the rubble that had rained down with her. She had only taken a couple steps when she felt the floor below her give way. _Not again!_

She didn't fall very far this time and it was a much softer landing.

"Oomph!"

This time she wasn't the only one to get hurt.

 _This is not my day,_ Ruby thought, rubbing her head. Whatever she had landed on was pretty soft and didn't hurt very much. She opened her eyes and gasped.

She had landed on a bed.

This alone wouldn't have been an issue if the bed hadn't been occupied. When she opened her eyes, she found herself staring directly at a young man around her age. There were no discernible animal parts on his head, so he might have been human. He had black spiky hair and blue eyes. She must have hurt him because he was wincing slightly in pain. His eyes widened as they stared at each other in silence.

 _Quick, think of something!_ Ruby ordered herself mentally. _Break the tension._ "Hi, my name's Ruby! Sorry about breaking your ceiling!" _Smooth!_ She was rather proud of herself in keeping her demeanor.

"It's not really my roof," the boy said and flinched. "Name's Touma Kamijou, but what are you even doing here?"

"I am invest…i…ga…ting…" Everything clicked in Ruby's mind at once. "Spiky hair, boy around our age, human, and is named Touma Kamijou? You must be the person who saved Blake!" She sat up and beamed at him, proud of herself. _Take that Yang! I would make a great detective._

"Blake?" Touma asked and tilted his head in confusion.

"Long black hair, cat ears, quiet and somewhat moody," explained Ruby. She put her hands on her head for emphasis. "You saved her from Torchwick and helped her get home."

"Oh!" It dawned on him who she was talking about. "I never caught her name, but I'm glad she made it back. I was worried about her."

"She will be glad to hear it," Ruby said with a nod. Her eyes widened when she realized what she had to do. "You have to come with me. The White Fang and Torchwick are up to something big here and they are planning to use you to do bad things!"

"You sound like Blake," Touma told her. "I think you might be misunderstanding something."

"I'll tell you whatever you need to know," Ruby rushed. "But we can't stay here for too long. I bet they are investigating the hole I fell in."

"If you want me to do anything," Touma told her and he suddenly glanced away from her. Ruby tilted her head in confusion. "You…er… might need to get off me." Touma indicated at her with his hand and Ruby frowned. Her face suddenly flushed crimson when she looked down. She was sitting on Touma's lower half with one of her hands pushing against his chest for balance.

"Eeep!" Ruby squealed and rolled off him. In her haste to vacate the awkward position, her knee landed on a very delicate spots for all males. Touma's eyes grew wide and a wounded gasp escaped his lips. Ruby landed on her feet and turned back to him, only to see him curl up in the fetal position, roll off the bed, and crash into the floor.

"Such….misfortune…," Touma moaned.

"I'm so sorry!" Ruby apologized in a panic when she figured out what she had done. Yang and her dad had told her she should aim between the legs whenever a boy harassed her. It had to be a sensitive spot for them and she had accidently pressed her weight right down on it. Luckily, she didn't weigh a lot. "It was an accident! I swear! Is there anything I can do to help? Should I rub it until the pain stops?"

"…no!" Touma couldn't believe a girl that old could ask a question like that. _Does she lead a sheltered life? You think she would know basic biology._

"Please forgive-..." Ruby started to say when the sound of footsteps caused her to stop. She turned toward the door and jumped back the second a foot kicked it down. Four White Fang members rushed into the room holding rifles.

"Told you there was an intruder!" one of them said triumphantly to the others.

"Looks like we arrived just in time," the second one agreed. "She had already attacked Mr. Kamijou."

"It was an accident!" Ruby cried in her defense and her hand gripped where her weapon usually was. The feeling of nothing but air remaindered her where it was. _Oh, this is no good!_ Touma tried to confirm her story, but his weak words were overlooked. "I was-…" She jumped back as the white, pink, and brown girl appeared out of thin air and stabbed at her head with an umbrella. Ruby's speed was the only thing allowing her to dodge the rapid jabs, but her shirt was cut by the precision of the attacks. Ruby found herself in the corner of the room, weaponless and outnumbered. The girl, who Blake had called Neo, was helping Touma to his feet.

"Well, well, well," said a mocking voice Ruby knew all too well.

"Torchwick," she spat out.

"Hey, Red," Roman laughed, as he strutted into the room. "I had a feeling we would meet again, but I had no idea you would actively sneak into this young man's room." He turned to Touma. "Doesn't look like you need my advice on women after all. They come to you."

* * *

"MISAKA is _bored_ , MISAKA complains as MISAKA emphasizes the word bored to stress its importance!" Last Order jumped on Nora's bed from the floor after dropping the remote control to the video game console. Accelerator looked up from the cot he was laying in.

"What do you expect me to do about it?" he asked

"Do something with MISAKA, MISAKA answers as MISAKA begins to jump on the bed to get the blood pumping. Besides reading, MISAKA adds as an afterthought."

"Figured if we were stuck here," Accelerator said and tossed the book onto the floor next to his cot. "Might as well read up on Dust. Doesn't look like I can use it without this 'Aura' of theirs, but it might reveal some clue on how to get us home." He glanced at her. "What do you even want to do? They let you play their video games, while they are gone on their field trip. We just ate, so you shouldn't be hungry."

"Let's go exploring! Misaka suggests. It isn't healthy to stay inside all day."

"Tsk." If it had been _anyone_ else, Accelerator would have told them to go fuck themselves. Last Order was the only one who could ask him something like that. "Fine, you lead the way, brat."

"You may call MISAKA a brat, but MISAKA knows you care, MISAKA says shrewdly as MISAKA heads toward the door." She bolted outside and Accelerator sighed.

 _The things I do for her._ Accelerator followed Last Order around Beacon. A few people gave them weird looks, but he ignored them. It wasn't like this was an unusual occurrence. People back in Academy City would stare at him constantly once they knew who he was. Last Order's memory may not be as good as his, but he knew she knew her way around the school. They passed the library, some empty classrooms, and skipped passed the cafeteria to the main hall. From the direction she was going, Accelerator figured she was planning to head outside. They had an hour or two before it got dark and she was planning to take advantage of that. What he didn't expect, was for a group of four people to enter beacon right when Last Order showed up.

"Hi Coco! MISAKA calls out happily."

"Sup, Last Order," she replied and slid her glasses down her nose to look at her directly. "What are you up to?" Velvet was standing behind her along with two guys. One was tall and athletic-looking with shaved-short black hair and tanned skin, and wore mostly pale-green and brown attire. His left arm bears a 5-layer sode which extends up past his shoulder and a large sword was on his back. The other guy was shorter with dark skin and dark, messy copper hair with a long fringe and a cowlick. A pair of orange blades were attached to his wrists. Velvet was in her usual assortment of brown clothes and the four of them looked like they had just gotten back from a field mission. Mud covered a good section of their clothes, though Coco somehow still managed to look good.

"Exploring with Accelerator, MISAKA answers immediately as MISAKA points back toward her guardian."

"Thought Vomit Boy was your guardian?" Coco asked shrewdly.

"He's off doing some boring thing for the school," Accelerator answered with a yawn. "I got stuck babysitting."

"Hey! MISAKA protests indignantly as MISAKA waves her arms in frustration."

"A mission?" Velvet asked. "Thought first years were a few weeks away from those?"

"Timing issues or something." Coco looked at him closely for any clues on what he really knew.

"Weirder things have happened I suppose," Coco admitted. "We just got back from a mission ourselves." She raised an eyebrow. "I remember seeing you in the hallway with Ozpin once and Last Order says your name was, Accelerator?"

"MISAKA completely forgot her manners, MISAKA realizes as MISAKA suddenly feels shamed at her forgetfulness. Accelerator, this is Coco and her teammate Velvet. Coco, this is Accelerator." Velvet couldn't help giggling at how cute she looked in trying to rectify everything.

"Speaking of introductions," Coco said and pointed to the two guys behind her. "The big guy's Yatsuhashi. Yatsu for short…"

"It is a pleasure to meet you both," he said.

"…and the moody silent one is Fox," Coco finished. "He doesn't talk much."

"Like him already," Accelerator muttered. He couldn't help notice Fox was staring at him intently with pure white eyes. _Huh, is he blind? Seems like a stupidly large handicap for fighting Grimm, but with Aura and Semblances, he's probably okay._

"Sorry we can't stay and talk," Velvet apologized to Last Order and Accelerator. "Coco is going to go crazy if she can't get to the showers."

"Catch you later, girl," Cocoa laughed and started to walk passed them. "By the way, love the new dress you have. Fits you nicely."

"Thank you, MISAKA thanks happily." Last Order waved to Velvet as she passed and looked up at Yatsuhashi. "Has anyone mentioned how tall you are? MISAKA asks curiously as MISAKA has to look virtually straight up at you."

"It has come up occasionally, little one," Yatsuhashi told her with a chuckle. "If you continue to eat your vegetables and exercise, you too can grow tall and healthy." Last Order nodded and Yatsuhashi looked over at Accelerator. "While we are here, would either of you two know why the remains of one of Beacon's beds is outside the school walls? We noticed it when flying in."

"Well… MISAKA mumbles embarrassed as MISAKA doesn't think she should say and kicks her foot against the ground."

"I had a promise to keep," Accelerator answered, unabashed. He was still aware of the one called Fox staring at him intently, even though Accelerator was under the impression he was blind.

"Was only curious," Yatsuhashi said to them. "I was not accusing you. Be it from us to keep you two from your destination. Have a good night." He and Fox continued to walk in the direction Coco and Velvet had gone, leaving Accelerator and Last Order to head out the front door. When they were clearly out of earshot, Yatsuhashi turned to Fox. "The one called Accelerator seems to have a heavy weight on his shoulders."

"Did he?" Fox asked. "I wasn't paying to his words, but rather his Aura. It's… unlike anything I have seen. The girl has something similar, but it's not nearly as bright."

"Did you not see him once before with Ozpin?"

"I did, but I thought I might have been mistaken. His power, it's not from Aura, that is for sure."

"Coco will want to know about this, but we should wait until she has finished cleaning up." Fox nodded.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **Current Ship Names:**

 **Touma and Yang: Fistbump / Punchline/ Imagine Dragon/ Love at First Punch**

 **Touma and Weiss: Cool to the Touch / Princess and the Pauper / Shattered Mirror**

 **Touma and Ruby: Blossoming / Thorny Rose / Speedy Rescue**

 **Touma and Blake: Nine Lives / Bad Luck / Kami-Nyaan**

 **Touma and Velvet: Bunny Couple / Rabbit's Foot**

 **Touma and Penny: Android's Dream / Faulty Electronics**

 **Touma and Ren: Lotus Fist**

 **Touma and Jaune: Better Luck Next Time**

 **Touma and Nora: Glutton for Punishment / Divine Sparks**

 **Touma and Pyrrha: Babe Magnet**

 **Touma and Coco: Black Coffee**

 **Touma and Glynda: Teacher's Pet / Promise Lands**

 **Touma and Adam: Chronic Crusaders**

 **Touma and Emerald: Shattered Illusions / Illusion Breaker / Portmanteau Poverty**

 **Touma and Twins: Triple Threat / Cerberus**

 **Touma and Cinder: Through the Fire and Flame / Fire Demons / Sinner and Savior**

 **Touma and Neo: Uncertain Flavor / Breaking Reality**

 **Touma and Salem: Burning Witch / Light and Shadow / Shattering Darkness**

 **Accelerator and Weiss: Cold and Calculating / Ice Vector / A Frosty Reception**

 **Accelerator and Yang: Road Rage / Short Fuse / Way of the Dragon**

 **Accelerator and Ruby: One-Way Rose / No Brakes / Rose Manipulation**

 **Accelerator and Blake: Twilight Arrow / Chain and Sickly / Chasing Shadows**

 **Accelerator and Nora: Shattered Bones / Broken Dreams / Nerve Impulse**

 **Accelerator and Velvet: White Flash / Hopping Mad**

 **Accelerator and Glynda: Fix and Destroy**

 **Accelerator and Penny: String Theory/ Broken Toys**

 **Accelerator and Sun: Sunny and Sullen**

 **Accelerator and Adam: Charging Bull**

 **Accelerator and Mercury: Killer Moves**

 **Accelerator and Coco: Fashionable Disaster**

 **Accelerator and Pyrrha: Opposites Attract**

 **Accelerator and Raven: Yang's Nightmare**


	14. Speedy Rescue

**Ruby and Touma finally met and seemed to hit it off nicely. Well, they would have if it wasn't for Roman Torchwick and the White Fang. For the last few chapters, Accelerator was taking the spotlight between the visitors to Remnant. Now Touma gets some screen time. Naturally, RWBY cast gets a lot because there are more of them, but Touma is sure to leave a lasting impression over the next 2-3 chapters. For those who remember the show, there will be some very familiar scenes, even with different people involved. I want certain things to happen in order to make bigger changes down the line. I'll try to keep things interesting the entire time though. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed. The number of people who seem to like this crossover blew my mind. Speaking of reviewers, let's move to them.**

 **Dread Grim Reaper: Thanks.**

 **iZuikaku: I laugh at that pairing. It does seem like something Touma would do, but it's Salem. Someone who only wants to destroy.**

 **silversean24: Well, yeah. That's why Accelerator was weakened in canon. It was easier to prevent him from destroying everyone that way. I did the same thing, otherwise he would be unstoppable in Remnant. The old Touma was used to it since he was a kid, the one who lost his memories should have snapped, but he didn't because he had Index to watch over.**

 **shiroryuu012: Hmm, he will do that at some point for sure.**

 **popcornPAR: Hamazura was someone I considered at the beginning, but decided on Last Order for plot purposes. I would need a valid reason why the others showed up.**

 **Guest: Accelerator in this one is passed Russia in the Index world. He theoretically has the power of his White Wings, but there hasn't been a reason to use them yet. Healing might have changed things.**

 **IlluminatiAnimeLover789: Not going to do the omake until Raven has had some more screen time. Accelerator would like Neo because she doesn't talk much. I find that harem route prevents people from having to make tough choices on who the character ends up with. You can have several people like one person and have them duke it out, it adds drama and hilarity. There are three people who are going to be trying to get Touma's attention for sure after this chapter. Accelerator being grouchy is part of the charm.**

 **Timber: Heh, this story got my reviewer Hubb to watch RWBY so he knew what was going on. Blake is a strong contender for a romance option if it occurs, but remember. Touma tends to be Jaune level oblivious to those kinds of things.**

 **Guest: She's so innocent.**

 **LL: Neo definitely is not happy, that much is obvious. However, it's not like she can kill people in front of him without alienating their bond. No one in Remnant has built up a resistance to Kami Disease. I'll have Neo kill someone to vent her frustration at least. Still debating if or when I want to bring Othinus, but we will see when I reach that point.**

 **The Rupture: Bathtub scene with girls from RWBY universe? Seems like a good thing, a very good thing. One of the requirements for Huntresses is to be a supermodel. Accelerator x Raven would only happen to piss off Yang. Weiss seems like a better contender. As for Ruby, yeah, Touma grabbed that flag.**

 **Duskrider: I thought about who they should meet and just decided to take what happened in RWBY and changed the outcome slightly.**

 **Poitato: Pretty much actually. Stiyl could do the things Cinder had been able to do without too much issue. Touma's hidden dragon is obviously pure Aura, hahaha.**

 **Adv: Takes time to spread the word and most of the people in combat class knew how powerful Accelerator is. When they return, there will be some comments. They left pretty much the following day.**

 **Prof. Pancakes: Naturally. It wouldn't be Touma without it.**

 **MR: Logic says yes, but with Touma's luck, I wouldn't be surprised if they just exponentially increase each other if they do not touch. Or Touma just absorbs all of Qrow's bad luck.**

 **WiliamZ0: Assuming Hunters can move similar to Kanzaki and are trained in combat, Touma would have it rough. The reason he beats a lot of stronger people is they rely on some amazing power his hand negates. Touma being pelted with bullets from a distance is a real weakness of his. Once Yang hears the entire story, Touma might still get castrated. Touma is one year older than her, totally a sister. Blake on the other hand, she has cat ears. Touma is Japanese. Love at first sight? I believe that is a good fallback saying if you don't want to admit you're a lolicon. I debated a naked scene, but figured he wouldn't do that in that position.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: Cookies would work.**

 **Guest: Is Accelerator ever truly single? He has a very passionate little girl following him around.**

 **G119: That was the idea.**

 **Guest: I have not read NT 19 yet. It is downloaded and ready to be read, but time keeps slipping away from me. I could stop writing and read it, but once you get out of the grove for writing, it's hard to go back. 2) Don't think it makes much difference.**

 **cloud666: My reviewer said this chapter was very entertaining.**

 **Formboy1: Meeting Touma was Ruby's best course of action to get out of this alive. Touma would protect her while Roman and Neo have to pretend to be good. I am going to leave out that line, just because. You seemed to have repeated yourself there, haha. The name's not** _ **terrible**_ **for a first try. I would say Bros Before Hoes but we know Qrow likes his flings.**

 **Croniklerx: Eh, you made it clear you like Touma over Accelerator. Other people feel the opposite. It happens. You will be happy for this one because of more Touma involvement. Trying to keep everyone is character is really hard, especially not making them static and boring. Jumping to different views tend to make the writing easier and allow more details. Some scenes you need a more global view. Hmm, Zwei biting Touma would make Beacon feel more at home. Yang would reference that to Ruby all the time if she found out. Wait till Fox sees Touma. I wonder if any of the RWBY cast would actually follow Touma home? Explanations do tend to be slightly boring, but sometimes they are needed.**

" **You're just saying that so you can lead me into a false sense of security and post something that's true, you sadist."**

 **People on the discord I'm part of would agree with you Cronik. The OC is more to give Salem additional weapons against Touma and Accelerator, balance things a little bit. For why Touma doesn't get a girlfriend, I agree with a lot of what you said. Went into it in more details in my pure Index fic. I might have him tell someone about it in this one too. That is one power of the OC I considered. Also, stronger Grimm, manipulating negative emotions over an area, and many others. I haven't decided on time here relates to Index time in terms of speed. While it may feel the same, universes may be running at different rates. Drunk antics will happen when I need a little filler and some plot mixed together. Well, we believe it's going to go through the British Halloween and IT comes out after that. So doesn't look like it, but it is possible. Heh, you're one of the few people still working on the pairings. Nectar of the Gods was genius thought.**

 **Tecpatl: I try to write every day, but sometimes you just don't want to.**

 **Gamator: I try to keep updating at reasonable times.**

 **Onishin Tsukitenshi: Heh, third person in a row who is asking that.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

"EH?!" Ruby and Touma could only splutter red faced at what Roman insinuated.

"You know." Roman turned and addressed Touma. "I try not to get involved in the personal lives of my coworkers, but when your relationship involves a Huntress who only wants to destroy us, well…. Then I'm forced to." Ruby wanted to pull her hood over her bright red face, but that would be suicidal in front of Roman, Neo, and the White Fang. Instead, her eyes flickered around the room, looking for an escape route.

"She fell through the roof," Touma protested and his eyes flickered to Neo, who seemed to be glaring at him. "I never met her before that."

"You won't get away with tricking him, Torchwick!" Ruby yelled and pointed to the mastermind. "We heard all about how you are only using him for his power and lied to him about us."

"Heard about us?" Roman mused mockingly. "Ah, the female cat Faunus must have mentioned us. Did she tell you how she threatened this young man's life and he still saved her from a pack of Grimm?" Ruby glared at him. "What? That's what happened. Did she try to weave stories about bravery and heroism?"

"You tried to kill her!" Ruby accused.

"Red," Roman stated firmly, but there was a shadow of a grin on his face. "I never gave the order to kill her once this young man expressed his displeasure at such an action. We merely tied her up to keep her out of trouble." Touma shifted slightly at his words. "Of course, we are going to have to restrain you now. Can't have you running off and blabbing to your companions about our location."

"You'll have to catch me first!" Ruby declared. Neo began to raise her umbrella when Ruby disappeared into a flash of rose petals. The glass of a nearby window shattered and Ruby began to plummet to the ground below. Neo disappeared after her and Roman started shouting out commands.

"Do not let her escape!" he roared at the White Fang. They started rushing out of the room and down the stairs. "The last thing we need is for a band of Hunters to discover this place."

"Are you sure she's with others?" Touma asked. He started moving after Roman before he even realized it. "She only mentioned the girl I saved outside of Vale."

"Kid," Roman sighed as they started bounding down the stairs two at a time. "Let me tell you something about Hunters and Huntresses. They are never alone for long. Sure, you may encounter one on an espionage mission, but if they are found and dealt with, the kingdoms send more, sometimes backed up with their military. It becomes a sea of blood. So unless we want to abandon this base and everything we have put into it, then we can't let her leave."

"At least until we are ready to leave," Touma wanted to clarify. Roman sighed and the pit of Touma's stomach fell.

"In order to keep prisoners," Roman explained. _Seriously, kid? There is a limit to how nice we can act in front of you. Just learn how things work and stop asking questions._ "We have to ration food supplies, guards, and water. We are spread thin as it is. The more people we have, the bigger risk our operation becomes. That's not even considering the fact there will no doubt be scouting parties looking for her and we would have to lay low. The Grimm act as a barrier, but once they pass the main group, people will be suspicious at the lack of them around us."

"What if I volunteer to guard her?" Touma asked, when Roman threw open the door to the building. "Not like I'm doing all that much."

"I like your enthusiasm," Roman laughed. _If only your sense of justice would get washed away, you would be the perfect tool._ "But she's friends with that cat Faunus who infiltrated our group. They will try to convert you to discover our plans. Do you think you can listen to her fabrications and keep your guard up? Will you be able to do what it takes to make sure she doesn't escape? Are you ready to face a Huntress, even one in training?"

"They are supposed to be stronger than normal people," Touma recited. _But it's not like that's anything new to me. Magicians, ability users, gods, everything I encountered before was supposed to be leagues above me. That doesn't mean you just give up._ "But the Grimm are attracted to negativity," Touma continued, as he racked his brain for a viable reason. "And killing people creates negativity in the area, right? A couple people told me that."

"True," Roman conceded. _Hmm, his analytical mind continues to impress me. He's a lot better than these grunts I'm forced to work with. If he could be trusted with the truth, his rank would be right under Neo._ "Issue is, this area is already seeped with more negativity than you could imagine. A little more won't affect it at all. When this city was overrun, the survivors who couldn't escape were trapped underground. Once the Grimm broke in… the rest is history."

"Damn," Touma muttered angrily. "This world is really just like you described."

"The Grimm do not take sides in our pathetic squabbles," Roman pointed out. "They slaughter everyone in their path." He pretended to think about the situation. "If we can take her alive, I'll see what I can do." Touma looked at him hopefully.

"Really?"

"Depends if we can take her alive," Roman repeated. "I won't risk all my men on a fruitless endeavor."

 _I suppose that's the best I could hope for_ , Touma agreed silently. _There's no point in killing an unarmed girl._

* * *

Ruby did not like the looks of her position.

Sure, she was faster than any of the White Fang members, but she was in unfamiliar territory and unarmed. Ruby was a great fighter, as long as she had her beloved Crescent Rose in her hand. When she lost it, there wasn't much she could do. Her physical strength, even with Aura, was pretty low and her hand to hand combat was terrible. Things kept getting worse when she accidently ran into a White Fang Patrol when trying to escape the main underground city area. Bullets chipped away the stone around her as she immediately about faced and bolted off against. An alarm range and White Fang were emerging from all around her. She would have been caught if it wasn't for her speed. A grey blur appeared by her head as Neo appeared out of nowhere with her sword. Ruby was forced to duck and disappear in a blur of rose petals. She was being forced to head back where she came from, which meant seeing Torchwick again.

 _Gah!_ Ruby thought desperately and skid to a stop.

"Welcome back, Red," Roman laughed. "If I knew you were coming, I would have prepared some coffee." Touma stood next to him and behind them were three White Fang members with dust rifles. "How about you surrender quietly and no one has to get hurt."

"I won't surrender to someone like you!" Ruby declared.

"Trust me," Roman said and stepped forward. "You much rather surrender to me than Neo or these guys." He gestured with his cane to the White Fang. "They are a lot rougher than I am."

"No deal!" Ruby cried and charged at him. Roman laughed smacked her with his cane, sending her backwards.

"You are much more manageable without that oversized garden tool of yours," Roman commented and leaned forward on his cane. "A lot of my men were hospitalized the last time you faced us." Ruby growled at the insult to her weapon and charged forward blindly. Roman chuckled, sidestepped, and tapped her on the back only hard enough so she fell down. _Hah, this is great. I needed this._ Touma gritted his teeth and prepared to jump in if things went overboard.

 _So far, Roman isn't trying to kill her. He is mainly just tiring her out, and from what I understand about Aura, it's protecting her from most of the attacks._ Still, he didn't let his guard down. It only took one twitchy finger.

"Why don't you make this easy on all of us?" Roman asked and placed the tip of his cane under Ruby's chin. "And tell me how you found this place, Red." Ruby glared at him and then her eyes darted to Touma.

"Whatever you do," she shouted. "Don't listen to him! He's only using you. I promise my friends and I will get you out of here!"

"Why must we always do things the uncivilized way," Roman sighed. He saw Neo standing in the shadows, waiting for his order. Before Touma could respond, Ruby disappeared in a flash of petals. "Huh?!" He turned around looking for her. "Where did she… ah there." Ruby was off in the distance and sprinting toward another tunnel. Roman raised his cane but, instead of pointing the bottom at Ruby to use his first dust, he flipped it over so the hook end was pointing towards her. The hook launched off the end of the cane with a cable still attached. In testament to Roman's skill, the hook snagged the back of Ruby's cloak and started to retract. After a brief moment of struggling, she resigned herself to her fate. "Tie her up," Roman ordered to the grunts.

"You won't get away with-…!" Ruby tried to yell at him, but one of the others shoved a cloth into her mouth. They bound her arms and legs and carried her off to one of the buildings. Neo then popped up next to Roman and Touma.

"Neo," Roman said. "Keep an eye out for Red's friends. Increase the patrols and make sure they do not sneak up on us. The last thing we need is a bunch of Hunters knocking down the train." Neo raised an eyebrow at him and glanced at Touma. "He will still be here when you return. It's not like Red is stealing him from you."

"W-what?!" Touma spluttered. Neo and Roman laughed at him. A moment before Neo disappeared, she slapped Touma on the ass, which made him jump. "Why does she keep doing that?!"

"Really?" Roman asked in disbelief. "Are you seriously asking that?" Touma stared at him blankly and Roman face palmed. "As soon as you make me think you know about women, you do this. Can't tell if you are secretly a genius or just plain lucky."

"I can assure you," Touma replied dryly. "I am not a genius and don't even get me started on my bad luck." Roman laughed and slapped him on the back.

"Due to the recent events," Roman told him. "I have to make sure our defenses are on full alert. If a group of Hunters sneak into our base, it's going to be a bloodbath. You know what you can do to help. Just stay out of trouble." Roman waved goodbye and swaggered away.

 _Why did you say that?_ Touma moaned to himself. _Now you jinxed us all. That's how my luck works._ His duties normally consisted of staying out of the way and occasionally going on patrols. As his hand kept the Grimm away, he needed to spend as much time in the center of the base camp, or Grimm would approach from the side opposite of him. However, there was one thing he wanted to do and turned to check up on the prisoner.

* * *

Yang wanted to call out for her sister, but that would be suicidal. Grimm and White Fang were sure to converge if she did. Instead, with her hands balled so tight her knuckles were turning white, she turned to Bartholomew. "How should we look for her?"

"Groups of two," Bartholomew ordered. "With Grimm and White Fang in the area, no one is allowed to be by themselves. This has become a search and possibly rescue. I shall go with Miss Schnee to even out the numbers. As soon as you discover any information on Ruby, alert the others. Do not take risks! The last thing we need is for someone else to go missing." Everyone nodded and split up: Jaune with Pyrrha, Nora with Yang, Blake with Ren, and Weiss with Bartholomew. The reasons the partners were different is that because Yang and Nora switched teams for this mission, they were considered part of the other team for all intents and purposes. The four teams split up and began to search the area.

"Are you okay?" Nora asked, concerned.

"I'm fine," Yang growled back. "I'm only worried about Ruby." She fell silent.

"I know how you are feeling," Nora said. "There was a time when Ren disappeared for two days and I was worried sick. I had been prepared to tear up the entire forest to find him. When a search party finally located him, I didn't let him go for the rest of the day."

"What's the point of that story?" Yang snapped.

"Don't give up hope," Nora explained. "Keep moving forward and things will work out. Maybe not always in the way you expect, but they do. A lot of things happened to Ren and me when we were kids, but if they didn't, we wouldn't have come to Beacon to meet all of you."

"What if she stumbled into the White Fang and got captured?" Yang asked. "Ruby could easily escape from Grimm if she was too badly outnumbered."

"Then we break their legs and rescue her," Nora said with a shrug. "Easy." Yang gave an involuntary laugh.

"Thanks for cheering me up, Nora."

"Anytime." The two of them moved along the abandoned buildings, periodically check them for any signs of a struggle or at least of being disturbed recently. Their efforts seemed to be fruitless. The lack of Grimm was disturbing, as it felt like they were about to be ambushed in the dead of night, but it made their progress faster. Eventually, Their scrolls beeped and Yang instantly grabbed hers.

"Blake and Ren found something," Yang told Nora. "I have their coordinates. Let's go!" Nora nodded and the two rushed off. A short time later, the eight of them gathered around a large hole in the ground. They could only see darkness down in. Blake was holding Ruby's Crescent Rose in her hands.

"Do you think she fell?" Jaune asked.

"If it's a sinkhole," Pyrrha said with a frown. "There is no telling how deep it goes."

"Any idea how she fell down it?" Yang asked. "Ruby may be a bit of a klutz sometimes, but even she wouldn't fall down a hole this size."

"From the fact there were no signs of fighting," Ren answered. "Blake and I assume the ground opened up beneath her."

"The question is why she was so far away from her post," Blake added. "She shouldn't have left the area around our camp."

"Could she have followed something?" Jaune asked and everyone stared at him. "What? Ruby probably got bored and decided to walk around the stretch her legs and saw something. She followed it out here and then fell down here."

"I'm suspicious you know that much about my sister," Yang told him through narrowed yes. "but I'll let it go because of the situation."

"It sounds plausible," Pyrrha agreed. "What do you think Doctor Oobleck?"

"How could I have been so stupid?!" Bartholomew exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" Yang asked with a trace of apprehension. A split-second later, Bartholomew's face was inches from hers.

"Mt. Glenn was an expansion of Vale destroyed by the Grimm," he explained. "Previously home to thousands of people. People who had to commute to the city for work, the main city. An intricate subway system was designed for transport safely away from the surface." He bolted over to Blake. "Grimm attacks increased on the surface and the people were forced to flee. The city population evacuated into the tunnels. What did they find?" He appeared in front of Jaune.

"Umm, shelter?" he guessed weakly.

"Exactly," Bartholomew declared. "You shall get a point of extra credit." He coughed. "The South-East quadrant of Vale is known for wild forests and deep caves."

"What's that have to do with anything?" Nora asked.

"Everything, my dear!" Bartholomew answered. "We have been looking only at the surface. We aren't just looking for an underground crime network, we are looking for an UNDERGROUND CRIME NETWORK!"

"They have been working in the caves?" Blake asked slightly skeptical.

"There wouldn't be a lot of room though," Pyrrha pointed out. "Not counting the subterranean Grimm that would be assaulting them constantly."

"Two things would disprove that assumption," Bartholomew said and appeared in front of her. "First, the caves are larger than they appeared. When the city evacuated the surface, they took up shelter beneath the city. The caves had been expanded to make room for the subways and had accidently become a new area for the citizens."

"An underground city," Ren stated. "That explains why there were no clues on the surface."

"Precisely." Ren found Bartholomew in his face now. "It was a safe haven, until…."

"Grimm broke in?" Weiss asked softly.

"An explosion broke the mouth of another cavern," Bartholomew said softly and hung his head. "Filled with subterranean Grimm. After that… Vale permanently sealed the tunnels. Which created the world's largest tomb." Everyone hung their heads for a moment.

"Then how would the White Fang be able to operate there?" Jaune asked.

"If they found the main openings and closed them," Bartholomew answered. "It would only require enough manpower and automated defenses to keep the smaller Grimm at bay but, now, they have another way to keep Grimm back." He held out his hands to indicate the surrounding the area. "There are no Grimm in this area, even though the negativity here should be endless. It's almost like they avoid this place. Why is that?"

"Touma," Blake said in an instant.

"If his power is indeed what you have told us," Bartholomew continued. "There is now no doubt he is here. The White Fang would no longer have to worry about Grimm while working here."

"And if Ruby is down there…" Weiss said.

"…We will find her," Yang finished. Her gauntlets cocked.

"Naturally," Bartholomew agreed. "We thinned out the Grimm herds and now it is time for part two of your mission." He held out his thermos and it began to expand into a large torch like object.

* * *

"Argggh!" Ruby cried as she pulled at her restraints.

She was trapped in a jail cell with thick iron bars preventing her escape. There were no other exits in her room, not even a window. A thick iron chain was attached to her leg and bolted into the wall. There was nothing to use to pick it and she wasn't nearly strong enough to break it. Giving up, she slumped against the wall and cross her arms.

 _This sucks,_ she fumed silently. _I finally found the White Fang's hideout and Touma, but I have no way to contact the others._ Before she was locked in her cell, they took everything out of her pockets, including her scroll. _Yang's going to kill me when she finds out what I did. Jaune probably alerted the others I disappeared._ Ruby tugged at the chain again and groaned. "Weiss is going to yell at me too," she muttered. Just the thought of her partner's rant sent a shiver down her spine. The door to the holding area opened and she jumped to her feet. Instead of Roman, or even Neo, a single male White Fang member walked in, shutting the door behind him. Ruby couldn't see his expression behind the mask, but she was sure it wasn't a good one. The man stared at her and she glared back, preferring to remain silent until he revealed what he wanted.

"So," the man said. "This is the famous Huntress that broke into our base? Can't say I'm impressed. You're a bit on the short side. When you going to grow up?"

"Hey!" Ruby protested. "I am grown up. I drink milk." The White Fang member laughed darkly.

"You know how many of my friends have been hurt because of humans," the man spat out. "Your kind thinks they can do whatever you want to us Faunus and we would just lower our heads and accept it?"

"I have never treated a single person, human or Faunus differently," Ruby retorted. "Some of my close friends are Faunus."

"Trying to justify yourself," the man spat out. "Yet you and your friends keep attacking us when all we want to do is fight for the rights we keep getting denied."

"You are stealing from and assaulting innocent people!" Ruby yelled. "People who have not done a single thing to Faunus."

"Are you defending the SDC?" the man growled and pulled out a dust rifle. Ruby's eyes narrowed, but she gulped. She was defenseless and that guy knew it. "The ones who enslave Faunus in their mines? I lose my older brother to a dust explosion because they decided safety precautions weren't needed with Faunus laborers." Ruby opened her mouth and then shut it. There wasn't a lot that you could reply to that. Saying it was just an accident wouldn't make him feel any better.

"Then when we start getting closer to achieving equality," the man continued. "You damn Hunters and Huntresses start hunting us down. My brothers and sisters get arrested, injured, or even killed."

"You guys started it with the violence," Ruby replied. "We just defend ourselves and the civilians we have sworn to protect."

"Protect the humans," the man spat and raised the gun. "While only keeping us around to do the jobs you don't want to do. One less human in the world will do us all a favor." Ruby gritted her teeth and glared at him. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of hearing her beg. "Say your prayers," he said and aimed the rifle.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Ruby and the man jumped as the door burst open. Touma Kamijou was standing there, looking furious.

"Just getting rid of one of the killers," the man said nonchalantly, like he wasn't doing anything wrong.

"Are you nuts?!" Touma demanded. "She's a prisoner. This isn't even self-defense. It's cold blooded murder!"

"Shut up!" The man snapped at him. "You may be Roman and Adam's pet, but I'm not going to let a slimy human like her waltz in here and ruin everything we have worked towards."

"Don't do it," Touma warned and stepped forward. Ruby's eyes widened as the White Fang member lowered his gun ever so slightly.

 _Does he have that much sway with them?_ Ruby thought in shock. She knew he was keeping the Grimm back, but they could keep him as a prisoner and achieve the same result. All the things that Touma had done, most of which was set up by Roman after the incident with Blake, was not known to her. Right now, it looked like Touma might have been a high up in the organization. The gun suddenly rose up and the man began to reach for the trigger.

"No!" Touma yelled and began to rush forward. His reaction turned out to be completely pointless, as the man suddenly slumped to the ground. Standing behind him was Neo. She winked at Touma and held up her phone with a message.

' _Roman figured one or two of the White Fang might decide to take out past frustration on her.'_

"Thanks for coming," Touma said to her. "What's going to happen to him?"

' _He defied an order from the higher up, so he will be punished. Up to Roman.'_ Neo shrugged and started to drag him out the door. There was a lot of strength in that small body of hers. She blew a kiss to Touma and, when he looked away, she flicked off Ruby. The door slammed behind her. That White Fang member was never seen again. His body was eventually discovered torn to pieces by several Grimm.

"Are you okay?" Touma asked Ruby.

"I'm fine," Ruby said with a nod. "Thanks for helping."

"Really should be thanking Neo," Touma said and jabbed his thumb at the door. "I probably wouldn't have been able to reach him in time."

"So why are you here?" Ruby asked.

"To talk," Touma answered and pulled out a small bag. "Plus to give you something to eat. Figured you might be hungry after all that running around. I managed to swipe some cookies from the cafeteria, do you like them?"

"YES!" Ruby practically shouted. Her eyes widened, she coughed, and then looked away to hide her reddening cheeks. "I mean, I do enjoy cookies occasionally."

"Here." Touma slipped the bag through the bars and Ruby grabbed it. She opened it and popped one into her mouth.

"Whaf hu wot to hak ahout?" Ruby asked, her mouth full.

"It's about what you said before," Touma pointed out. "About Roman and the White Fang being bad. Blake said the same thing and I wanted to ask you a few questions on why you say that."

"A lot of reasons," Ruby explained. "They rob business, attacked my friends, and don't care about hurting innocent people to achieve their goals." She made a fist. "Torchwick… I met him when he was robbing a dust shop. I was only reading a magazine when they arrived. I fought them off and I was invited to Beacon because of it." She looked up at Touma. "You're from another world, right?" Her sudden change in topic caused Touma to blink in surprise.

"How did you find that out?" Touma asked. "Only Roman and Neo know that."

"Your friends told us," Ruby said with a grin. "Last Order says hi and hopes you return."

"They are with you?" Touma asked in shock. "Roman had one of his contacts looking for them."

"We found Accelerator in the nearby forest," Ruby explained. "Well, Team JNPR did, they are close friends of my team. We found Last Order in Vale and took her back to Beacon." She decided to skip the details about Yang plotting to keep her because of her love for puns. "Wait, do you know about Beacon? How much did Torchwick tell you about our world?"

"Beacon's the place for Hunter's, right?" Touma asked and she nodded. "As for your world, there are four kingdoms and Grimm are the monsters that constantly try to wipe out humans and Faunus." Ruby gave another nod. "Instead of joining together to fight the Grimm," Touma continued. "There have been a lot of tensions between the two groups, even a war. Faunus are being discriminated against in the kingdoms, but Vale is slightly better than the others. The White Fang was created to protest the unequal treatment and…" He paused for a moment. "Have begun to resort to some desperate tactics." His face darkened slightly and Ruby didn't look much happier.

"Some places treat them equally," Ruby argued lamely. "As for what the White Fang has become, your description is putting it mildly."

"Can you explain then?" Touma asked. "I heard a lot of stories about Faunus suffering under humans, but they are all from this side. I can't say I have to full story."

"I can't say I know it all either," Ruby admitted. "I don't know much about the White Fang before arriving at Beacon. Weiss, my partner at Beacon, talks a bad about them because they have attacked her family and business for years. Blake, who you met, used to be part of them, but left when they became more radical. From what I understand, they used to be peaceful, and then there was a change of leadership. The new leader encouraged violence to cause the governments to grant Faunus rights out of fear. They robbed and bombed stores that didn't sell to Faunus, kidnapped people, and work with criminals to achieve their goals."

"But that never works!" Touma protested. "Not in the long run. All it does is breed contempt."

"I've seen people on both sides of the argument," Ruby said and stared at the ground. "It nearly ruined a friendship and split my team apart. When we actually got them sat down and talking, we managed to work things out."

"Since you know I'm from another world," Touma said and leaned up against a wall. "And you met Accelerator and Last Order, I take it you know about levels?"

"Accelerator is a level 5 and Last Order is a level 3, right?" Ruby asked.

"Yes," Touma confirmed. "I'm considered a level 0."

"But you have this awesome power that can even keep Grimm away!" Ruby exclaimed in shock.

"The thing is," Touma continued. "My power is not considered an ability because it couldn't be measured." He sighed. "There are higher levels that tend to treat lower levels with disdain and caused many lower levels to believe everything is rigged against them. They made a group called Skill-Out to protect themselves from being mistreated. When it didn't work out as well as they wanted, they started getting more aggressive. They attacked higher levels in groups, vandalism, and so forth. All that did was cause a lot of people to look down at them and give people a reason to hate low levels. Even though most of us only try to live life as best we can."

"You and Blake would definitely get along if you talked," Ruby said. "She said similar things." Her eyes widened as she realized something. _Hey, maybe I can get more information about their operations from here. Yang and Weiss won't yell at me as much if I do, hopefully._ "How did you end up working with a criminal like Torchwick?" Ruby asked, changing topics. "He tried to kill me the first time we met!" Touma's face darkened again.

"When I was first transported to Remnant," he explained. "I found myself in a forest being chased by Grimm. I had no idea what they were and just saw monsters trying to kill me. Once my hand pushed the Grimm away, still not sure why this is the case, I ran into Neo. She was the first person I met who had an Aura like yours. Blake probably told you, but my power allows me to negate the supernatural."

"She told us that," Ruby said. "But none of us really could imagine that feeling."

"Neo was pretty shocked at that too," Touma laughed. "She thought I was trying to kill her. Once we got past the misunderstanding, she took me to see Roman. He gave me clothes, room and board, and asked one of his contacts to find my friends, who seemed to have met up with you." Touma shook his head exasperatedly. "They sound okay if Last Order was telling you about them."

"She's really popular," Ruby confirmed. "And I think Weiss is interested in Accelerator."

"Really?" Ruby nodded with a grin. "Wow. Did not see that coming. He can be a little…"

"Rude?"

"Sure." Touma coughed for a moment. "Back to Roman. After all the help he gave me, I asked if there was anything I could do to repay him. It's not like I had this world's money. Based on what Neo explained, he figured my hand could be used to keep Grimm away and asked if I would accompany the White Fang in a drop off outside Vale's walls."

"But why would you help a terrorist group?!" Ruby asked.

"From what I have seen," Touma said. "They are trying to bring equality to Faunus. I don't like the fact they are stealing dust from businesses, but it's not like I know how this world works. When you are being besieged by a virtually endless enemy, I assume people would resort to more drastic measures to survive? Am I wrong?"

"No," Ruby admitted. "But the White Fang does a lot more than just stealing dust."

"I heard of a few things," Touma also admitted. One Faunus told him about a time a Hunter got involved and a dust supply accidently went off. The explosion took out the store and two other buildings. When the news got ahold of the story, they immediately blamed the White Fang resorting to a terrorist attack. The Hunter backed up the story because he didn't want to admit it was his fault. _Ruby doesn't seem like a bad person though. Is it because she's still training at Beacon? I knew not all Hunters and Huntresses could be bad._ "Do you want to know what I heard the dust being stolen is being used for?"

"Yes!" Ruby responded quickly. _To eager, dial it back! Weiss won't kill me if I find out._

"They are planning to deliver it to areas heavily populated by Faunus," Touma explained. "The railroad tracks under here will allow them to reach different towns quickly and out of the reach of Grimm. A lot of Faunus areas are lacking dust because I guess some groups are keeping the dust in short supply. I hear a lot of stories about Faunus being kicked out of stores because the owner doesn't like them purely based on the fact they are Faunus." Touma scowled angrily. "I can't believe they would do that."

"Some people are stupid," Ruby agreed. "But surely you notice Torchwick isn't a good person."

"I… have noticed a few things," Touma slowly replied. "A couple times he called some of the Faunus 'mutts' or 'animals' when he was aggravated." Ruby eyed him hopefully. "But back in Vale he insulted human people too. Roman… seems like a person who tends to respect people around his level. Everyone else, I think he looks down upon. This doesn't necessary make him a _bad_ person, but I don't have to like it. There are a lot of people like that in my world. I would prefer they didn't treat people differently…" He sighed. "Roman doesn't really discriminate though and I can appreciate that. He is also making sure the Grimm don't kill everyone here, so there is that too."

"Why share this with me?" Ruby asked. "Didn't he tell you Hunters are evil? We aren't of course, but I thought you would treat us like enemies."

"I refuse to see people as enemies," Touma responded immediately and Ruby's eyes widened. "Sure, I may see someone who is doing something I disagree with and even a couple people I may not like. But enemies? No hunters have done anything to me to warrant me hating them. If I see one of them doing something bad, I'll stand up to them and try to set them on the right track. No one is beyond redemption and they should be given a second chance. I have seen people being tricked into causing others pain and simply needed someone to save them. If I have the power to help, I will, regardless of who needs it. People get too focused on a single path and we should show them there is always another way."

 _Wow,_ Ruby stared with stars in her eyes. Ever since she was little, she had idolized heroes. Being too young to remember much about her mother, Yang and her dad wove stories about how she had been slayer of monsters and master of cookies. Her bookshelf back home was filled with mostly stories about heroes and heroines who fought against the odds to bring peace to their era. Ruby wanted to become a hero and always looked up to Hunters and Huntresses because they fought the dark forces of Grimm to save the innocent. Yang had humored her constantly, but Ruby rarely found someone like her. Jaune was close, but he also wanted to uphold his family's legacy. The boy in front of her seemed to hit directly at her heart with his words, even if they were kind of cheesy.

"Are you okay?" Touma asked and leaned forward. "Your face is kind of red."

"I'm fine," Ruby squeaked and pulled her hood over her head. "It's just, what you said. I feel the same way. I became a Huntress to help people and stop the Grimm. My… mother died when I was little fighting them and I idolized her."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Touma said softly.

"Don't be," Ruby reassured him. "It happened so long ago and I barely remember her." She took a deep breath and lowered her hood. "I'm hoping to become a Hunter like her. Someone who was willing to put their own life at risk to save anyone who needed it."

"I think you will be," Touma said and their eyes met.

"Thanks for talking to me," Ruby said meekly. "When I was captured, I figured they were going to keep me locked up or kill me on the spot."

"I talked with Roman," Touma reassured her. "It's not going to be a pleasant stay at a hotel, but they are just going to keep you prisoner here."

"Really?" Ruby asked surprised and then smiled. "Heh, I should have expected you would do that for me. Thanks. I can last until my friends find me." Touma frowned.

"Umm," Touma said and scratched the back of his head. "Are your friends going to try to break in by force if they find this place?"

"Yes," Ruby answered. "Yang, my older sister, is really overprotective. She wouldn't leave until they find me."

"That's not good," Touma muttered. "The White Fang is going to shoot on sight if they see her."

"You shouldn't be worried about Yang," Ruby explained quickly. "She's really strong."

"Now I'm torn," Touma moaned and grabbed his head. "I should tell Roman your friends are in the area, but that's only going to escalate the fighting. If I remain silent, they might sneak up on us a lot of people will be hurt anyways."

"What are you doing to do?" Ruby asked quietly. It wasn't like she was in a position to stop whatever Touma decided, but she might be able to persuade him. They were alike and Ruby didn't want anything bad to happen to him.

"I don't know," Touma muttered. "If they don't find this place, nothing will happen, but then you will be stuck here for who knows how long. I wouldn't want you to go through that."

"Really?" Ruby's stomach felt weird, like somethings was squirming around in it.

"To be honest," Touma muttered and looked away. "Since I arrived, everyone seemed to have secrets. Their eyes kept betraying the fact something happened to them in the past and they haven't been able to let it go. Even your friend Blake seemed to be struggling with baggage. Roman covered it the best, but you can't keep it hidden forever. I've seen too many people with that kind of chip on their shoulders. You… were the first person I saw with clear eyes, like you weren't being held back. I didn't want to be the one to ruin that. It might be because you are younger than the others…"

"Thanks?" _Stupid!_ Ruby berated herself. _What kind of response was that?_ "I don't suppose you can let me go?" she asked.

"Roman would kill me," Touma replied dryly. "He barely agreed to let you stay as a prisoner." Touma scratched his chin. "Once the heat dies down, it might be possible. Couple days, maybe?"

"I suppose that's all I can ask for," Ruby sighed and slumped back down on the floor. "You seem like a nice person, just like Blake described, so please," she looked him straight in the eyes. "Be careful. Torchwick is dangerous and the second you are no longer of use to him, he's going to get rid of you. It's how guys like him are."

"I can promise to try to keep an open mind," Touma replied. "And my eyes and ears open."

"Thanks," Ruby whispered honestly. "I don't want anything to happen to you eith-…" A shrill alarm echoed through the underground ruins and Ruby jumped up in shock. "What's that?!" she cried.

"An alarm!" Touma yelled. He had flinched at the sudden sound too. "The base is under attack. It's only been Grimm so far, but…" He trailed off.

"Oh, no," Ruby gasped.

* * *

"What's happening!?" Roman yelled at a couple of the White Fang on the radios. "I was kind of in the middle of something!?" The ground beneath him shook slightly.

"Seems like our perimeter sensors picked up some movement," one of the male Faunus replied. "Not Grimm, humans detected." Some more shouting came through the radio and then it went dead. "More than one group coming from different directions. Outer defenses have already been disabled."

"Damn it," Roman growled and kicked a rock. "Red's friends found us already." He sighed and gathered his composure. "Well, no use crying over spilled milk. We aren't equipped to handle a sieged by Hunters and no doubt the military will be on the way shortly. Attach the last car and get this train ready to roll. We are leaving early!"

"But we were supposed to wai-…"

"Do it or you're dead!" Roman roared and stuck the end of his cane into the guy's throat to prove his point. He and his companions nodded and rushed off. "Neo?" The pink, brown, and white girl was already next to him. "Has he been corrupted by Red's words?" Neo held out her hand and wiggled it up and down a bit. "So-so? Explain." Neo started gesturing.

' _Turns out he knew you were an ass already, but put up with it.'_

"Huh, his perception continues to surprise me."

' _Not as innocent either. Turns out there is a group back in his world similar to the White Fang. He must have tangled with them before.'_

"So he worked with us out of necessity? Thought it was mainly ignorance and my wonderful performance in spinning tales."

' _Combination of all of the above. Thanks to me saving him from the forest, he trusts me and he trusts you because you helped him in a time of need. Even though you planned to use him, we tricked him into believing helping us was his idea.'_

"That was a pretty good job on our part. He's not likely to abandon us in the near future, is he?"

' _No, but he's keeping an open mind and watching us to see if there is truth to her words. She's innocent enough to make all of us looked like villains._

"The nerve!" Roman gasped in mock horror. Neo couldn't resist giggling herself. "Heroic people like us could never be the bad guys." He sighed and rubbed his head. "Girl's been drinking too much lately."

' _Probably milk.'_ They both laughed again. ' _Anyway, turns out she told him something we already knew. His friends are at Beacon.'_

"That is good to know," Roman confirmed with a nod. "I'll tell the boy about them when we board. It will make our information network and by extent us, look good in his eyes. Fulfills my end of the deal too. No one can say Roman Torchwick doesn't keep his promises. Hopefully, we can escape with him at the end of the tracks and, if we do, he will have no reason to doubt us. If not, well, it was fun while it lasted." Neo frowned and Roman raised an eyebrow. "Second thoughts?"

Neo shook her head.

"Come on. We have been partners long enough for me to know that look."

' _Feel bad for him. He's one of the few who knows how great I am AND doesn't fear me.'_

"Hahaha!" Roman burst out laughing. "I had an inkling you were falling for him, but didn't think you liked his kind. Thought you were into blondes?" Neo stuck her tongue out at him. Her preference was someone she could mess with and enjoy a variety of expressions. Someone who treated her right and not just for her body was only a plus. "Whatever floats your boat. I told you I wouldn't get involved in your social life." His expression grew more amused and he turned his head. "Speak of the devil… Glad you heard the alarm kid!"

"What's going on!?" Touma asked, skidding to a stop next to them. "Grimm?" His head was pounding slightly from the alarms, but he was getting used to them.

"Not this time," Roman answered. "We are under attack by a couple groups of Hunters. We are not equipped to take down trained assassins. We are loading as many people into the train as possible and heading out. You go with Neo."

"But what about everyone else?" Touma demanded. "There are still people in the caves."

"They are doing whatever they can to slow down the intruders," Roman explained, as Neo started prodding Touma, slightly harder than needed, toward the train. "We have some automated defenses, but they are really only effective against Grimm." Touma looked around and saw a large number of White Fang members flooding out of buildings and tunnels to board the train.

"Can't we stop them?" Touma asked Roman and Neo. "We probably outnumber them and we can't give up this place if it's going to help you guys long term in supplying villages."

"Out of everyone here," Roman sighed. "Neo, Lieutenant, and I are the only ones with Aura capable of fighting Hunters and Huntresses, even in training." He hopped into one of the cars. Touma opened his mouth to argue and Neo held up her phone.

' _If they take these supplies, more lives will be loss. We are used to moving from one place to another. This time is just earlier than we would like.'_

"I understand," Touma finally relented and followed her in. "Doesn't mean I have to like it." _We lose people to Grimm and now Hunters. Wait…Ruby!_ "What about the prisoner? What's going to happen to her?"

"We are being attacked by her friends," Roman pointed out. "They will rescue her and most likely question her about out plans. Luckily, we didn't tell her anything. If Vale knew we were supplying dust to villages, they would try to intercept our shipment." It was kind of a low blow on Roman's part, but Neo understood why he did it. He was making Touma realize his talking behind their back could be costly.

"Right," Touma muttered dryly, feeling quite guilty.

* * *

"Where is she?!" Yang demanded, her hand clamped firmly on the shirt of a White Fang member she was holding up in the air.

"W-who?" spluttered the poor soul.

"Girl in red," Yang growled. "I know she fell down here."

"Someone was captured and should be in the holding cells," the man answered. "If it was her, she would be there." He pointed off into the distance.

"Thanks." Yang punched him in the face and he fell unconscious. "I know where to go!" she yelled to the others.

"That's all well and good!" Jaune called back, as he bashed one of the White Fang grunts with his shield and slashed at another, who managed to jump back. "But how about a hand with these guys!?" He charged forward and cut a rifle in half before it could be used to shoot at Pyrrha.

"We definitely found their base," Ren said, as he dodged a round of bullets and continued to strike the guys in front of him with the dull side of his blades guns. Once he got close, the White Fang couldn't fire as often without the risk of hitting each other. He used his fluid motions to move from one to another to keep them off balance. Now that Yang had finished interrogating, she charged forward and sent a group their enemies flying. The only reason Ren was here instead of Nora was they decided they needed a powerhouse on both teams to break through the defenses. This was no longer an extermination and information gathering mission, it was a search and rescue. Yang had run off in haste before Jaune could suggest she move back with her team.

"They are trying to fall back," Pyrrha noticed and sidestepped a White Fang trying to hit her with a sword. A quick tap in the back of the head with the blunt of her blade knocked him unconscious. "They were planning to use those turrets to keep us at bay." Her movements were nothing short of masterful. The White Fang stood no chance against her variety of tactics. Her shield would bounce of something or someone and always hit their mark. Her agility allowed her to dodge all the close quarter attacks and, just in case there was a surprise, her semblance could take control of pretty much any metal weapon they had on them. When she stepped forward into the White Fang, they quickly learned why she was called the Goddess of Victory.

"We managed to clear ours pretty easily," Jaune agreed. "Weiss mentioned they were having a little trouble, but are close to meeting up with us." The sound of a train whistle echoed around the cave. "A train?"

"Seems like they have been busy," Ren commented, as the last enemy fell.

"Let's get Ruby first," Pyrrha suggested. "She might have information on them."

"Dang right, we will," Yang agreed, yet her hands never uncurled from being fists. "This way, come on!" The four of them took off in the direction Yang was told until they reached a building with bars on the windows. "This must be it." She stepped forward and, instead of even trying to open the door, she punched it off its handles.

 _Just like Nora would,_ Jaune, Ren, and Pyrrha all thought.

"Who…? YANG!" came a very excited voice once she saw who it was.

"RUBY!" Yang cried. "Step back, I'm getting you out of here." She stepped forward and grabbed the old rusty bars, Her muscles tensed as she started to bend them.

"Umm," Pyrrha interrupted. "I think these are the keys." Yang and Ruby turned to look at her as she pulled a keychain off the wall.

"Right," Yang said sheepishly. "My way would have worked too."

"Here's her scroll too," Jaune added, after checking the desk. A second later, Ruby was free and embracing her sister.

"Are you okay?" Yang asked.

"I'm fine," Ruby assured her quickly. "But listen. Torchwick is down here and all the dust he has stolen seems to be here too. Plus, I saw weapons and robots when I was trying to escape."

"Do you know what they are for?" Jaune asked.

"I asked Touma," Ruby stated and her eyes brightened. "Oh, I met him and he's exactly like Blake described…"

"Focus," Yang interrupted. "You can talk about how cool he is later."

"Right." Ruby blushed slightly. "Anyways, he told me the dust was being transported to Faunus villages. I don't think he is lying…"

"But it seems unlikely," Ren finished. "I didn't think the tracks out here went anywhere else besides Vale proper."

"Torchwick most likely fed him wrong information to hide his scheme," Pyrrha added.

"Right," Ruby agreed. "But he definitely isn't working with them because he agrees with what they are doing. Torchwick brainwashed him or something."

"Let's meet up with the others," Jaune said. "Oh, Ruby? Blake has Crescent Rose. We weren't sure which group would meet up with you."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Ruby explained and quickly hugged him. "I was so worried about my baby."

"You can hug him later, too," Yang sighed and pulled her off by her hood. "Good to see you safe," she whispered again. Ruby nodded and smiled at her. The four of them left the building and saw an explosion in the distance. They thought they recognized the blue glow of Weiss's glyphs, but then they heard a voice which removed all doubt.

"Capturing my friend is a crime worthy of breaking your legs!"

"Nora," Ren sighed, but there was a shadow of a smile. They took off and were shortly reunited with their comrades.

"Weiss, Blake!" Ruby cried happily and charged forward. If she was expecting a hug like with Yang, she was sorely mistaken.

"You dolt!" Weiss snapped and karate chopped her on the head.

"Ow," Ruby moaned and covered her head with her arms. "Why would you do that?!"

"For going off on your own in the middle of dangerous territory," Weiss ranted. "Along with not telling anyone where you were going! If it wasn't for Arc, none of us might have noticed until this morning!"

"Sorry," Ruby muttered.

"It's still good to see you are okay," Weiss muttered.

"Bestie!" Ruby cheered and threw her arms around Weiss.

"Get off!" Weiss grunted.

"Yay!" Nora cried and crushed them both in one of her rib breaking hugs. "We are all back together again."

"I'm glad we found you," Blake added with a small smile.

"As much as I hate to break up this happy reunion," Bartholomew said and everyone looked toward him. "Might have you have any insight into the White Fang's plan?"

"Ah, yes," Ruby answered instantly. "I was told by Touma," Blake's bow twitched, "that they were using this base as a staging ground to transport dust to Faunus villages."

"We believe that may be the cover story Torchwick told him," Ren added.

"It is a ridiculous proposition," Bartholomew agreed. "All of these tunnels are sealed. The tracks only lead to a dead end, much less an actual town."

"Get in your places! We are leaving now!" It was like Roman decided to wait until one of them said something he could contradict. The train on the tracks began to slowly move and the whistle blew again.

"Looks like they are going somewhere," Yang argued.

"Where do the tracks actually go?" Pyrrha asked.

"They are only placed between here and Vale," Bartholomew explained. "Think about it. The tracks have to be underground to avoid Grimm attacking passing trains."

"We should notify Beacon," Jaune suggested and pulled out his phone. A second later he cursed. "No signal here. Ozpin needs to know what's happening."

"I believe we have only one option left," Bartholomew stated solemnly.

"Break their legs?" Nora asked hopefully.

"Two options," Yang whispered to Nora, who grinned.

"We're stopping that train," Ruby declared and Blake handed her Crescent Rose.

The ground began to rumble as the train picked up speed.

The eight Hunters and Huntresses in training, along with their chaperone, ran towards it. They just managed to board one of the last few cars by the skin of their teeth. Even a few seconds delay would have prevented them from getting on and left them stuck in the abandoned underground city. Bartholomew took out two of the guards by hitting them in the back of the head with his torch and they climbed up on the roof.

"Umm," Weiss said and looked in one of the boxes. "Professor…?"

"Doctor!" Bartholomew snapped.

"…Doctor," Weiss amended. "What is that?" A device about the size of a suitcase with red and blue wires and vials was sitting in one of the crates.

"That, my dear…," Bartholomew said, as he knelt down next to it. "Appears to be a bomb." Everyone gasped and jumped away from it.

"Is it going to go off?" Jaune asked fearfully.

"It does not appear to be active," Ren said from down next to Bartholomew.

"Phew," Ruby sighed and wiped her forehand with her hand.

"We got company!" Nora shouted excitedly and pointed. Everyone turned to see a huge number of White Fang members emerging from the sides and from the rooftop access of the cars far ahead of them.

"I didn't really expect them to ignore us," Bartholomew said.

"Guys," Weiss interrupted and pointed a single finger down into the crate. "It's beeping." Everyone looked at the red beeping light on the side of the bomb.

"Get off the car!" Jaune yelled and everyone began to move towards the oncoming army. At least this was they had a chance and could fight off the threat, rather than trying to survive an explosion. Everyone started to move to the next car, when Bartholomew placed a hand on Blake's shoulder.

"Detached the caboose," he ordered. "Or the bomb will kill us all." Blake nodded. Instead of immediately leaping to the next car, she jumped down in the space between them. She had just started to raise her blade when the car began to get further and further away from her. She blinked in surprise.

"It decoupled itself!" Blake called out to Bartholomew, before jumping back up.

"Guess Torchwick really doesn't want us on his train," Yang laughed.

"Guys?" This time it was Pyrrha who spoke up. "We have another one."

"There's a bomb on this one too?" Weiss asked exasperated.

"Apparently." Ren's voice was calm, but there was a trace of urgency. "Ideas?"

"Noooo," Bartholomew moaned, as he watched the decoupled train car explode in the distance. "This is not good." He ran across the roof toward the next car and checked inside it too. "They all seem to have bombs!" he yelled out.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Yang yelled back. She might have complained more, but the car they were on began to detach.

"Yang, move!" Ruby ordered and everyone jumped onto the car Bartholomew was on.

"Incoming!" Jaune warned. The White Fang members were almost upon them.

"On it!" Yang and Nora said simultaneously. The two of them charged forward, leaping from car to car, until they barrel straight into the enemies. Nora swung her hammer and sent half a dozen of them flying. Their cries could be heard as they fell off the train. Yang delivered a low kick on one, which caused him to spin around in a hundred and eighty degrees, before she punched him in the gut, sending him flying into three others.

"Let's help them," Jaune said to Pyrrha, who nodded and the two of them charged forward. Weiss, Blake, Ren, and Ruby started to charge forward to join them, but were stopped by a single word.

"Wait!" Bartholomew told them, he hopped to the next cart to join them for when his car detached.

"What is it?" Ruby asked in a slight panic. "We should be helping them."

"Is it important?" Blake added. "Our friends are severely outnumbered."

"Very, look." Bartholomew pointed to where the last train car that just broke off trailed into the distance and then exploded. The explosion from that small bomb was powerful enough to not only blow up the walls, but caused the roof to cave in. From this distance, it was hard to make out, but several black shapes began to emerge from the rubble and from the ceiling.

"Grimm," Ren whispered. As if to answer him, howls echoed down the tunnel. The five of them were forced to keep moving away from the end of the train or they would get caught in the detachments.

"Oh… dear…" Bartholomew muttered. The explosion attracted all the Grimm in the area and they began to follow the train, their numbers growing larger with each explosion. Soon, a black and white tide was rushing toward them. He turned to Ruby, Weiss, Ren, and Blake. "He is leading them toward the city!"

"What?!" Weiss cried.

"The cars!" Bartholomew explained loudly. "They detach with the bombs to create holes for the Grimm to access the underground tunnel."

"That's insane!" Blake cried.

"We have to hurry!" Bartholomew yelled. The five of them were forced to jump onto the next train car. Luckily, Nora, Yang, Pyrrha, and Jaune were pushing the White Fang back several cars in front of them. Suddenly, a large robot climbed up the side of the train and settled itself on the roof in front of them.

"They have a Paladin too?!" Weiss asked in shocked disbelief. The Atlesian Paladin was enormous, able to take up an entire lane on a highway, its armaments notwithstanding. Inside there was a cockpit that housed and secured one pilot, with several holographic displays available to monitor the status of the Paladin and survey the surrounding environment. The Paladin was equipped with at least two arm-mounted energy guns, rear-mounted rocket launchers, and double-barreled guns attached to the aforementioned energy guns. This was Atlas's newest creation and the White Fang had already stolen one.

"Seems like they have more than one," Ren commented, as another three joined the first.

"Here is the plan," Bartholomew told them. "You four go below deck and try to stop the bombs."

"What about you?" Ruby asked.

"I'm going to explain what's happening to the others and help deal with those Paladins. Do you understand your task?" Ruby, Blake, Weiss, and Ren nodded. "Good luck to you."

"This way," Blake said and pried open one of the roof top access. The four of them began to descend.

"Looks like it's time to stop this train," Bartholomew declared.

"We know!" Ruby called out to him as she jumped. "I said it already!"

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **The ending is very similar to the series, minus a few tweaks. I wanted this scene to happen for reasons moving forward, but I purposely changed a few things to play on earlier events. Remember, Team RWBY and JNPR are taking this mission early, so when all the other teams are doing theirs, they have some R &R time to get into trouble.**

 **Current Ship Names:**

 **Touma and Yang: Fistbump / Punchline/ Imagine Dragon/ Love at First Punch**

 **Touma and Weiss: Cool to the Touch / Princess and the Pauper / Shattered Mirror**

 **Touma and Ruby: Blossoming / Thorny Rose / Speedy Rescue / Innocently Indecent/ Nectar of the Gods.**

 **Touma and Blake: Nine Lives / Bad Luck / Kami-Nyaan**

 **Touma and Velvet: Bunny Couple / Rabbit's Foot**

 **Touma and Penny: Android's Dream / Faulty Electronics**

 **Touma and Ren: Lotus Fist**

 **Touma and Jaune: Better Luck Next Time**

 **Touma and Nora: Glutton for Punishment / Divine Sparks**

 **Touma and Pyrrha: Babe Magnet**

 **Touma and Coco: Black Coffee**

 **Touma and Glynda: Teacher's Pet / Promise Lands**

 **Touma and Adam: Chronic Crusaders**

 **Touma and Emerald: Shattered Illusions / Illusion Breaker / Portmanteau Poverty**

 **Touma and Twins: Triple Threat / Cerberus**

 **Touma and Cinder: Through the Fire and Flame / Fire Demons / Sinner and Savior/ A Match Made In Hellfire**

 **Touma and Neo: Uncertain Flavor / Breaking Reality/ Stockholm Slasher Romance**

 **Touma and Salem: Burning Witch / Light and Shadow / Shattering Darkness**

 **Accelerator and Weiss: Cold and Calculating / Ice Vector / A Frosty Reception**

 **Accelerator and Yang: Road Rage / Short Fuse / Way of the Dragon**

 **Accelerator and Ruby: One-Way Rose / No Brakes / Rose Manipulation**

 **Accelerator and Blake: Twilight Arrow / Chain and Sickly / Chasing Shadows**

 **Accelerator and Nora: Shattered Bones / Broken Dreams / Nerve Impulse**

 **Accelerator and Velvet: White Flash / Hopping Mad**

 **Accelerator and Glynda: Fix and Destroy**

 **Accelerator and Penny: String Theory/ Broken Toys**

 **Accelerator and Sun: Sunny and Sullen**

 **Accelerator and Adam: Charging Bull**

 **Accelerator and Mercury: Killer Moves**

 **Accelerator and Coco: Fashionable Disaster**

 **Accelerator and Pyrrha: Opposites Attract**

 **Accelerator and Raven: Yang's Nightmare/ Fallen Feathers**


	15. Dates on a Train

**It is a sad day. For those living in America, last week, we received terrible news. Net Neutrality was voted on and is now dead. Even with near unanimous people opposing it, three individuals decided they should ignore the people and allow providers to regulate what we are allowed to see on the internet. There is still a chance we can turn this around in court, but everyone who believes in Net Neutrality should contact their legislator and demand they reenact it. Do I claim to know everything that will occur because of this, no, but it was enacted for a reason. I'm not trying to sound political, but the internet seemed to have rose up in unison the last few days. I'm really just venting because of the implications this last vote implies. Let's move on and get to something interesting, like this chapter. Thanks to Soulcage and Hubb for Beta reading.**

 **JumpingToaster: Years of practice along with a negative outlook about himself probably allows it.**

 **A Special Kind of Stupid: That is one possible outcome, since they both have bad luck. Remember though, Touma is a lightning rod for bad luck. Maybe he can absorb all the bad luck Qrow emits.**

 **Tecpatl: No problem. The fact you can read and write in multiple languages is impressive.**

 **IlluminatiAnimeLover789: I'm not guaranteeing this is a harem in anyways. Having multiple girls like someone does not mean one of them will pull ahead. It adds drama to the story while many other things happen. Accelerator had a crappy childhood so he is used to pushing people away. Now that Last Order is around, he can open up a tiny bit more, but it's not easy. Maybe being healed now by dust, his body might start producing normal male hormones to make things more awkward around the RWBY cast.**

 **TheCasualReader: If they do, it will just be Othinus near the end to help them return home. I don't have a definite ending yet.**

 **WiliamZ0: I might do that when the situations occurs between a pairing. I don't want pairings to be rushed, if they occur naturally, so be it. As I have said before, the dragons will only appear at the right time. Team CFVY should appear soon to help out.**

 **dickythamrin077: Ruby is actually a year older than Mikoto. Ruby is fifteen and Touma is sixteen, which is actually a pretty standard age for many people to fall in love. Getting Touma to fall for her, that's another story entirely. Thanks to Othinus, we finally saw Touma's selfish side. Heh, I alternate between my two big ones and I do make sure these chapters are decent length.**

 **The Rupture: Getting Accelerator to an underground train track may take time, plus there wasn't signal when Jaune tried. Accelerator being sent as back up definitely is a possibility.**

 **Salishious: Heh, the name works, but I'm trying to avoid getting into three ways because the list at the end would get way too long. Limited time meant not everything could be shared.**

 **Onishin Tsukitenshi: I try.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: Touma is the hero to all the young ladies. Yang will find out eventually, guaranteed. The girl would have like triplets and an evil father.**

 **Guest: No resistance to stop the spread.**

 **Guest: Roman is a pro, but it's going to come to an end. The explosion at the end is sure to be an indicator. I have some people who like me to focus on Touma and some who want me focus on Accelerator. I try to give them both time during different situations. Then we have the entire RWBY cast, so that's another thing to add.**

 **The Tyrant-Fool: Hmm. When I gave them names, it was to make it easier for me to address them. Maybe they can show up occasionally.**

 **Rekyuu: Last Order would have to be captured in some way, but there are other ways to show how merciless he can be.**

 **Formboy1: Proper communication can stop a lot of misunderstandings. A lot of stuff will happen in this chapter and the next for Touma to get a clearer picture on what is to happen. Sure, he may hate Roman, but would Neo let him think bad of her? So many questions. Obviously Neptune and Sun are Aogami and Tsuchimikado, while Jaune is Touma in this universe. Every universe has a Touma. When Ruby Tells Yang, with important details missed, Yang is going for the kill. If flirting with Touma annoys Accelerator, she might do it. The names are pretty close, but that just shows you are well their character personalities match up. Neo might not have recognized Raven. She could have just been able to see how powerful Raven was.**

 **Adv: I expect Touma to punch a Grimm or two before someone else.**

 **Dreemurr009: Accelerator? Reading, listening to music on the scroll, and trying not be bothered.**

 **alaude hibari: Huh, okay. If Summer is alive, that could be a thing.**

 **ParadoxVictor: Jaune still needs to try to woo Weiss, which will be amusing to Accelerator. I could totally see Ruby trying to decide which of the awkward dorks she likes more. Now that RWBY has more men not tied down to Nora, much more interesting combinations. It wasn't like Weiss was immediately friends with the rest of her team at the start. Took a couple life or death struggles, some drama, and yelling to get them to be a team. Last Order simply acts as an intermediary between them for now. Added a couple of those names.**

 **Guest: Not beat up, discipline him.**

 **Jazz Ears: He only punches people who are not living their life correctly. That would be Roman and Neo. Maybe he should punch Jaune before returning home. So Jaune can be left with a harem or a spin-off. Not sure what Touma's relationship will be with the White Fang in the future. His name is well known, but it's more with Roman. Touma might be able to stop Adam from being batshit crazy like in Season 5. Jaune x Weiss is tough, but it could work once she sees he likes her for her. It's hard to get past initial judgments of people, good and bad.**

 **Gamator: When I found that out about Ozpin, I thought about it a lot. It really comes down to HOW the curse is affecting him. If the magic is coming from him, then a touch would free him. If the magic was coming from somewhere else, contact would only temporarily break the connection. I'm kind of leaning toward the second option. If Ozpin was to die WHILE Touma was touching him, he would not reincarnate. That knowledge could be useful to a group of people.**

 **Guest: The ship name worked perfectly here, so I had to.**

 **reffast 1000cc: Popular pairing, but still needs some work on implementing it.**

 **Sora with an S: I wanted this train scene for MANY reasons. Just remember, it happens earlier than the main story, so not all the people from the other schools have arrived yet. Going to lead to some interesting developments when certain spies find out about our trespasser's power. Could be used on a certain old wizard.**

 **Phut: Thanks.**

 **Gungnir - Odin's spear: Always appreciate reviews. They let me know what people like or dislike and help me grow as a writer. They are also motivation because I know people are enjoying the story. It seemed so natural for Touma to be tricked and Roman was the man to do it. Have not seen many Touma x Qrow pairing names because they haven't met and recognized the other.**

 **LL: Touma would run away and Nora would consider it a game and chase after him. Well, with the rise of Grimm, the world isn't doing that well. Would probably laugh at Othinus's threats and keep trying to dress her up in doll clothes. Illusions might as long as Touma doesn't touch his head.**

 **Pasapack: Thanks.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

Ruby, Blake, Weiss, and Ren landed effortlessly in the car.

"Remember," Weiss said. "Find and disarm the bombs. If that isn't possible, we make our way to the front and stop the train." She reached into her pocket and handed Blake a small container of different colored dust. "Oh, you might need this."

"Thanks," Blake responded with a nod. She quickly loaded the cartridge into her sword handle.

"Well," Ruby pointed out optimistically. "Most of the White Fang are running on the roof so we might be in the clear."

"I doubt Torchwick would be so foolish not to keep a few men back to protect himself and make sure this train keeps moving," Ren pointed out.

"True," Weiss agreed and the four of them began to run forward. "Don't expect them to be your average cut of the mill-…" She was interrupted when the metal door on the far end of the car slid open to reveal a small girl in white, pink, and brown clothes. She held a parasol with a similar bright design in her right hand while her left hand was on her belt. A devious smirk adorned her confident looking face. Their arrival didn't seem to faze her at all, even at four to one odds.

"Neo," Blake hissed angrily. Everyone drew their weapons. "No, you three go on. We can't waste time. I'll take her." The others nodded and started to run forward again. Neo's feet moved to adjust her stance and her parasol shifted slightly in her hand. It was obvious she was going to try to stop the others from passing. Blake expected this and charged towards her straight on. Her blade slashed horizontally across where Neo would have been, if she hadn't begun to somersault backwards. Ren and Weiss managed to slip by, but the curved end of the parasol handle moved out when Ruby passed. Neo landed on her feet while the handle slipped around Ruby's ankle.

"Ahhh!" Ruby cried out as Neo used her momentum to spin around on the spot. Ruby was pulled around and thrown back where she came from.

Right into Blake.

"Oomph!" The both of them fell backwards, but managed to jump back up to their feet quickly enough. The metal door shut behind Weiss and Ren, so at least one good thing came from it. Neo spun her parasol around in her hand and grinned. Blake's eyes narrowed and she held her blade out in front of her, with her sheath at her side. Crescent Rose transformed into a scythe from its gun form and Ruby held it at the ready. Neo stepped forward and her eyes flashed dangerously.

"Is it my imagination?" Ruby whispered to Blake. "Or does it look like she really doesn't like us."

"I doubt she wishes to be friends," Blake answered. "Two on one is advantageous to us." _Though, I have to agree._ Blake was focused on Neo's eyes. The multicolor girl seemed to be calm and mocking them on the outside, but there was anger hidden in those constantly color changing eyes. _Ruby mentioned she had stopped Torchwick from stealing dust before, but this seems more personal. It is obvious Neo targeted her._

She didn't know how close to the truth she was.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ren and Weiss managed to get to the next car, right as the far door opened up. The hulking form of the White Fang Lieutenant walked in. He wore the standard pants and black gloves of other White Fang members, but his forearms had metal guards. The Lieutenant also had a distinctive top with a collar that stuck up around his neck and lacked the buttoned look of the standard garb. His large chainsaw was sending sparks up as he dragged it across the floor.

"Seems we have another obstacle," Ren remarked.

"I'll handle him," Weiss replied. "You go on." Ren nodded and the two of the sprinted forward. Weiss pulled ahead and didn't flinch as the chainsaw revved up. As the Lieutenant brought the chainsaw blade down, Weiss flipped backwards to avoid it, while Ren slipped by to the left. Due to the size and weight of the weapon, the Lieutenant was unable to change directions quickly. By the time they reached him, neither Ren nor Weiss figured he was the agile type. Sparks flew up from the ground as the chainsaw hit metal, but Ren had already passed the White Fang member by then. The sound of weapons clashing behind him almost caused him to turn around, but he resisted the urge.

 _Weiss is capable,_ Ren told himself. _Our main objectives are disarming the bombs, stopping the train, and capturing Torchwick. All of these train cars have too many boxes to check them all efficiently before the train gets to Vale, so that should be my priority._ He slipped into the next car and the door shut behind him with a clang. He wasn't alone in the room. Two others were there.

"Well, well," Roman commented. He spun his cane around in a circle. "I think you are lost, missy. You should probably turn around and leave."

"I'm a guy," Ren stated plainly. He might have figured Roman was taunting him, if his long hair, thin frame, and pink dyed hair hadn't caused that misunderstanding before.

Roman blinked.

"My bad," Roman apologized with a short mocking bow. "You have to admit, that pink hair is sending mixed signals." Ren's eyes drifted from him to the boy behind Roman.

"I take it you are Touma Kamijou?" Ren asked, ignoring Roman's taunts. "You fit the description from Blake and Ruby." The boy nodded, but seemed slightly weary of Ren.

"I'll give you one chance to leave," Roman told Ren. "If you don't, I'm afraid I'm going to have to use force."

"I can't leave until this train is stopped and you are in custody," Ren replied.

"Impasse it is." The two of them looked at each other and then charged. Roman raised his cane and brought it down to strike Ren's head. Ren jumped to the side and sent a blow towards Roman's side with his knee. He responded by leaning back and swinging his cane horizontally. Ren raised his guns and the blade parts absorbed the blow as he jumped backwards. In midair, he unleashed a barrage of bullets. The cane moved and deflected several of them, while Roman's Aura absorbed the impact of the rest. "Not bad kid, you got some skills."

 _Don't pay attention to the taunts and strike fast and hard,_ Ren thought. The second his feet touched the ground, he dashed forward to unleash a flurry of quick slashes with his gun blades. His blades only clanged against metal. Every strike was blocked or deflected with Roman's cane. However, Ren was not limited to just weapons. He studied martial arts and the second Roman's weapon moved to knock away his blade, he delivered a straight kick into Roman's stomach.

"Gak!" Roman couldn't resist as the blow made direct contact. Ren wasn't the type of person to let an opening escape him. When the force lifted Roman into the air, Ren continued to deliver attack after attack at speeds that made his arms look like blurs. Roman was blown into the air and Ren jumped up after him. He channeled his aura into his fist and delivered a punch into Roman's chest, sending him crashing into the train floor before sliding backwards. Roman quickly scrambled to his feet and stepped forward while swinging his cane to slam into Ren before he touched the ground. Ren managed to block, but he bounced backwards against the floor. "Kid, say good night." The bottom of his cane opened up and was pointed directly at him.

A red blast exploded out of the end and collided with Ren.

"Ahh!" Ren cried as he was blown back into a large metal crate. _I can't take a hit like that again._ His body cried out in pain and part of his clothes was burnt.

"Roman!" Touma shouted. "Wasn't that too much?!"

"I keep telling you," Roman sighed and straightened his hat. "You can't be gentle with Hunters, even the ones in training. They aren't like normal people. Look, he's getting up again." Touma turned to see that Ren was indeed getting up again. "If you can get him to surrender, be my guest. You managed to get Neo to listen to you and that's no easy task."

"Sorry," Ren said and started to brush himself off. "I'm not giving up without stopping this train."

"Hunters are known to be stubborn," Roman laughed. "But you should know when you are outmatched."

"I have a reason to continue fighting," Ren stated firmly. Not only were his friends on board, but if this train reached Vale countless innocent civilians would be caught in either the explosion or the Grimm following them. _Seems Ruby's and Blake's reports were accurate about him. He was worried about Roman's attack against me. Can't take another attack like that head on though. My Aura can't withstand that._ Ren did not have a powerful defensive Aura to take hits like Yang, Nora, or Jaune did.

"Speaking of Neo," Touma asked Roman. "Wasn't she supposed to be back yet?"

"Probably being delayed by more Hunters and Huntresses," Roman muttered bitterly. "Tell you what, I have things covered here. Go find the Lieutenant and Neo and bring them back as quickly as you can."

"On it." Touma bolted past Roman and only paused for a fraction of a second to watch Ren. Ren briefly considered trying to stop him. In the end, he did nothing because Roman was watching him closely. If Ren gave an opening, Roman was sure to strike. There was also the fact Ren remembered Touma did not have an Aura. Firing bullets at him would severely injure him. This was something he wasn't willing to do. Touma left through the door and it slammed shut behind him.

"He will realize the truth eventually," Ren told Roman.

"Sure," Roman laughed and shrugged. "While I wish I could keep using him longer, that power is so useful, I'm afraid he probably won't survive what is about to happen."

"He will if we stop you first," Ren pointed out.

"You can try, boy. Struggle until the end, it's amusing."

* * *

"Finally," The Lieutenant growled. "I get to kill a Schnee."

Weiss just gave him a fake smile, raised her rapier, and took up her fencing pose. The Lieutenant roared and charged at her bringing the chainsaw down. He was physically strong, while Weiss was not. Speed and technique were more her forte. Instead of trying to block the blade, a futile effort on her part, Weiss parried the blow by pushing against the flat side of the chainsaw so it fell down harmlessly next to her. A quick jab into the Lieutenant's shoulder with the rapier was more than enough to throw him off balance. As he turned and stumbled, Weiss unleashed another series of blows into his chest and side. The Lieutenant finally swung his chainsaw at her, but she merely leaped over him, landed on the ground, and delivered another flurry of blows in quick succession.

The Lieutenant yelled angrily and swung his weapon horizontally. Weiss dodged by less than an inch as she backflipped under the blade, sprung up, and delivered a slash against his shoulder. He once again was thrown off balance and another flurry of precise strikes caused him to fall backwards. Weiss jumped over his body and hit him once more before landing daintily on her feet. She turned and smiled, sure she had won. Her eyes widened slightly as the Lieutenant stood up and growled.

 _He's durable,_ Weiss thought to herself. _It's like fighting Arc, but his offense is no joke._ Even though she parried his first strike, it took a lot more effort than she would have liked to move it even a little bit. Her opponent was strong. _As long as he can't hit me, I have this in the bag._ The Lieutenant lifted his chainsaw into the air, the revving never faltering for even a moment, and brought it down in an overhead chop. Weiss dodged to her left, but the chainsaw blade hit the ground and immediately shifted directions to cut at her diagonally upwards. Weiss was forced to block the strike directly or it would have cut her in half. "Oomph," she grunted as the full force of the blow tore through her. She was sent flying back and crashed into a stack of heavy crates. Somehow, she managed to stay standing. She refused to close her eyes from the pain and saw the Lieutenant aim a kick at her. Instead of dodging, she jumped into the air.

Twisting in midair, Weiss planted her feet on the ceiling and pushed off. The Lieutenant jumped back and Weiss's blade hit the ground with a clang. She slashed her blade upwards, but it was only blocked by the flat of his weapon. Sparks flew as metal clashed against metal. A frontal assault wasn't going to work against such a large weapon, but her quick attacks were preventing him from countering. Weiss was probing to find a weakness she could exploit. After a few seconds of probing, she decided to make one. Her last attack was delayed, which gave the Lieutenant a false sense of security. He raised his chainsaw and Weiss jabbed him in the chest immediately. The force knocked him backwards, but he managed to spring back up to his feet.

 _Time to finish this,_ Weiss thought and held her rapier in front of her, tip facing the ceiling. A large white glyph appeared under her while half a dozen formed around the Lieutenant in roughly a dome. The one beneath her sent her flying forward at speeds her body would normally be unable to produce. Her rapier struck him faster than he could react, but the attack didn't stop there. Weiss twisted around right when she hit one of glyphs and immediately flew backwards to strike him again. The glyphs disappeared after each use. She continued to bounce off each glyph and repeat the process until the last one that happened to be above the Lieutenant. She was about to strike him one last time in the head to knock him out, when he raised a hand.

"Come here, princess!" he growled and grabbed her face with his hand. The downside to her movement glyphs was she couldn't change direction once released. Her body's reaction speed was not able to keep up. The Lieutenant slammed her into the ground and lifted her back up, before throwing her into the wall.

"Ow," She groaned and rubbed her head. _Shit!_ The Lieutenant was approaching her and she activated the dust cartridge in her rapier. The Lieutenant marched toward with his chainsaw raised to finish the job. _Not today!_ The blue dust cartridge clicked into place and she slammed the tip of her rapier into the ground. A wave of ice exploded from her location and encased the Lieutenant before he could react. Only his head was free and he cussed at her. "How vulgar," she reprimanded him and then sighed in relief. _Ow, my body hurts all over._ The door further ahead opened up and she turned, hoping to see Ren, but her eyes widened slightly she saw a different boy rush in. _That has to be Touma Kamijou, he fits Blake's description._ He glanced at Weiss's and the Lieutenant's situation before running forward to help. Weiss didn't expect him to be able to break the ice without Aura, even her opponent wasn't able to.

She did not expect the sound of breaking glass.

She also didn't expect for all her ice to just disappear.

 _His hand can negate elements generated from dust?_ Weiss thought in shock. Her body reacted automatically and she sprang to her feet, regardless of the pain.

"You okay?" Touma asked the Lieutenant.

"Now that I can move," he answered. "Why are you here?"

"Roman told me to bring you and Neo to him," Touma said urgently.

"Neo should be up ahead," the Lieutenant replied grumpily.

"Got it," Touma said with a nod. "You going to be okay?"

"I won't get caught again." Touma rushed to the next room and the Lieutenant turned his attention back towards Weiss.

Weiss was staring at the two in stunned silence. Here, a lieutenant of the White Fang was talking to a human like they were comrades. The old White Fang might have had people who did that, but the current one hated humans. Weiss had lost many people she knew to their attacks and they would never allow humans into their organization. Working with Roman had to be out of desperation, but this wasn't a simple partnership with Touma. The Lieutenant actually seemed okay with him around. "White Fang being friendly with a human?" she asked him. "Now that's a surprise. I expected you to only keep him alive for his power."

"He's not a vile Schnee," the Lieutenant growled and didn't elaborate. Instead, he revved up his chainsaw and Weiss raised her rapier.

* * *

Neo was planning to enjoy herself.

Before her stood two threats that were about to be neutralized. The girl in red, who had interfered with Roman's heists twice, and the Faunus girl in white and black, who had infiltrated their ranks, had their weapons drawn. Sure, they were a threat to their operation, but that was the lesser of their sins. The Faunus girl tried to take her toy hostage and even threatened his life. The little girl then decided to sneak into her toy's bed, something _she_ had been about to do ten minutes later to see Touma's surprised expression in the morning. To make matters worse, both of them had told Touma information he didn't need to know, which caused doubt to spring up in his mind. If he knew what she and Roman were really up to, he wouldn't speak to her ever again. There was something about him, maybe his trusting personality added to the fact his eyes held strength forged from some kind of experience, that she decided she had to keep him close.

 _So seems Red does use a large scythe,_ Neo thought to herself. _Amateur. The railcar's confined space won't let you optimize your blows._

Neo was confident, but she never was overconfident. Her snarky demeanor and attitude was just a show to incite her opponents. Once angered, they tend to make mistakes and grow sloppy. She also had a rough idea of the abilities. Ruby was a speed fighter and she would have to watch out for sudden attacks from behind, but the narrow car would limit the number of directions she could come from. The other girl, she was a problem. Neo didn't know her name, but she witnessed her speed and fighting style a little bit when she escaped. Agile and sharp blows, but they could also be powerful. The girl had a wide variety of techniques at her disposal.

Blake and Ruby looked at each other, nodded once, and charged.

Neo ducked under the red blade and swung her parasol upwards to smack Ruby under the chin. The blow sent her stumbling backwards, but Neo was forced to shift to the side as Blake's sword slashed at her. Neo brought her parasol back and deflected the sheath in Blake's other hands, before shifting back and forth to dodge a flurry of strikes. Blake disengaged and Ruby's scythe came down vertically. Neo somersaulted backwards and landed in a sitting position on a crate. To make everything look completely natural, she smiled and opened her parasol. It looked like she was sitting happily under the sun, completely unconcerned about the two Huntresses in training in front of her.

 _She's good,_ Blake thought angrily. Neo impressed her, but she wasn't going to let the girl who tricked a young man into doing something completely against his nature escape. "Look for an opening," Blake whispered to Ruby. "She's good."

"Right," Ruby agreed. Neo's smiled widened and she sprung up to her feet.

 _Easy enough,_ Neo thought to herself. _Break the Faunus's attacks and watch out for surprise attacks by Red._ This wasn't her usual style of fighting. Most of the time, it was assassination. Her semblance to create illusions and teleport allowed her to enter and escape pretty much anywhere undetected. Killing people without anyone noticing was easy. Direct fights weren't her strong suit, but it wasn't like she never had them. Sometimes operations go wrong and you have to fight. She wasn't super strong, but she excelled at using her opponent's strength against them.

Blake charged at Neo and she shifted toward the right to dodge the initial attack. Blake twisted in midair while swinging her sheath like a blunt axe. Neo ducked under the blow and folded her parasol back up before using it to push away Blake's arm and prevent her from swinging her sword. Blake responded by aiming a kick toward Neo's gut. She responded by spinning around on one foot, avoiding the blow, and then landing her own kick in Blake's side. Blake gasped and was sent flying back. Neo was about to pursue and deliver a lethal blow with her hidden blade, but she was forced to step back to avoid Ruby's scythe.

 _This is annoying,_ Neo thought to herself. Ruby was able to swing horizontal strikes continuously by spinning her large scythe like a windmill. The scythe's range kept Neo from drawing in close. The second Ruby slowed down and Neo began to initiate a counterattack, Blake appeared at her side and began to attack, which forced Neo back. One on one, Neo would have been able to easily take them down, but they were able to work together somewhat. She could tell their teamwork was rough and it was more of them acting as a solo fighter whenever the other was driven into a corner. Blake suddenly swung her sheath down and a blade of purple light flew out at Neo, tearing up the floor as it approached. Neo stood still and watched it with a mocking smile on her face. Her expression never changed when the light made direct contact.

She shattered like glass.

"What?!" Blake gasped and looked around wildly. "Ruby! Behind you!"

"Where-…AHH!" Neo had appeared behind Ruby and slightly to the right. Ruby tried to turn, but Neo had wrapped her free arm around Ruby's and the parasol over the other. It only took a quick twist to break Ruby's grip on Crescent Rose. If it wasn't for her Aura, her arm would have broken too. The scythe went one way, and Neo flipped Ruby onto her side in the other direction. Ruby slammed into the ground with a grunt.

"Get away from her!" Blake yelled and slashed at Neo. Neo only giggled and somersaulted backwards, but made sure to kick Crescent Rose further away.

"You'll pay for that!" Ruby cried in anger as she watched Neo treat her baby with such disrespect. Neo looked at her and then glanced at the weapon and grinned. She jumped over to it and kicked it again. "STOOOPPPP!"

"Don't!" Blake tried to warn her. "She's trying to rile you-…!" Her words weren't fast enough to match her young leader's speed. Ruby had disappeared in a flutter of rose petals to reappear behind Neo and next to Crescent Rose. She reached down to grab her weapon, when Neo's parasol collided into her gut. While Ruby's speed was so fast that even a Faunus enhanced sight couldn't follow, Neo's experience told her where Ruby was going to go and she was already moving. The second Ruby slowed down, Neo made contact. Ruby flew back, crashed into the wall, and slumped down unmoving.

Blake noticed a knife sticking out of the end of Neo's parasol.

"YOU…!" Blake screeched and charged. Neo turned and deflected Blake's slash with her own blade. The anger at her leader and friend being stabbed caused Blake to attack in a blind fury, which was what Neo was trying to do. The blows were becoming sloppy and easy to evade. She deflected the sword, dodged the sheath and finally found an opening to step in. She smacked Blake in the face with the side of her parasol and the kicked her stomach while bringing the blade down on her wrist. Neo broke Blake's grip and the sword went skidding across the ground as Blake flew backwards. She managed to land on her feet, but Neo charged forward and jabbed her parasol with the knife sticking out of the end at Blake's throat.

Blake flickered back and left behind a clone made of fire.

Neo's eyes widened right when her weapon made contact. The moment her blow struck, she was engulfed with an explosion. Blake sighed and rubbed her stomach where Neo had kicked her. The dust Weiss had given her worked well. By combining it with her solid afterimages, she could add different attributes to them. Fire dust caused the explosion and Neo had taken it point blank. The smoke cleared and Blake's eyes widened.

The parasol Neo held was open and looked relatively unharmed.

It closed up and Neo slung it over her shoulder with a cocky grin. The parasol was made out of thin, but extremely durable material that was resistant to shock, heat, cold, and tears. A small burst of flames was easily deflected by it. Blake quickly glanced around for her sword and saw it on the ground, but Neo was already moving toward her. Before Blake could react, Neo swept her feet and then smacked her in the side of the head with her parasol. Blake hit the ground with a thud. Neo responded with a smirk and kicked her in the side, which knocked her back a couple feet. She sauntered over to Blake, who tried to raise her sheath defensively. Neo laughed. She delivered another kick her into her side, with enough force to lift Blake a foot in the air and flip onto her stomach. Her sheath skidded away when her grip loosened.

 _Time to die, sluts._ Neo had choices on who to kill first. As Ruby lay motionless, she decided to turn her attention toward Blake, who was struggling to get up. Neo started to walk over to Blake and the blade at the end of her parasol retracted. Neo instead pulled out the hidden blade out of the handle and stepped on Blake's back pinning her down. She slowly lowered the blade down toward Blake's neck, reveling in the fear in her yellow eyes as she struggled fruitlessly.

Neo raised her blade to jam it through the protective Aura and then her ear twitched.

She leaned back to avoid the bullet.

"Get off her!" Ruby yelled and aimed her gun.

 _Annoying,_ Neo thought. _Her scythe is also a gun._ _What an idiot. She missed her only chance. At this distance, I would kill her friend before she could hit me, let alone pierce my Aura._

"Get off!" Ruby repeated, her glare never wavering from her rifle's sight. Being so focused, she completely missed the door behind her opening up. "Or the next shot won't miss!" Neo had to resist the urge to smile and then a plan came to mind. She suddenly looked fearful. Ruby raised an eyebrow, confused at the sudden change in expression, when she heard someone yell to draw her attention from Neo.

"Stop, Ruby!" Touma yelled and tackled her. Ruby's rifle went off and it actually almost hit Neo, but she stepped off Blake to avoid it.

"Hey!" Ruby cried. "Get off! I need to save-…!" Her voice cut off when she heard the sound of breaking glass. Ruby's voice failed her.

Touma's hand had grabbed her arm.

Blake had told everyone about how Touma negated her Aura and, while it was hard to believe, they didn't really have a reason to doubt her. Knowing about it and experiencing it were two different things though. Ruby felt her Aura disappear instantly without a shred of resistance. Her strength, which really had never been that great, diminished. Crescent Rose was out of reach and Touma was pinning her to the ground. There wasn't any way she could free herself. Ruby felt completely helpless. She was able to turn her head to see Touma glancing between her and Neo with Blake.

"Get off!" Ruby pleaded. "She's going to kill Blake!"

"You were the one trying to shoot her in the back!" Touma refuted, but he focused his eyes on Neo. They traveled down to the sword in her hand. "Neo…," he said nervously. "You weren't going to, right?"

Neo's lips tightened but she didn't respond. His arrival made things complicated. She had been planning to end Blake and finish off Ruby, before heading back to Roman. A simple lie about how she chased them away would have been able to fool Touma. Blake started to get up, now that Neo was off her, which forced her to step on Blake's back again and keep the blade against her neck to prevent a chance of a counterattack.

"Neo," Touma said again, more firmly. "You don't have to do this. They're beaten."

"I told you," Blake croaked to him and she felt the cold steel press against her neck. _If I'm going out, I'm going to make sure he's not being used anymore._ "They aren't saviors. They are criminals manipulating the White Fang for their ends." Neo's grip tightened and the blade cut slightly into Blake's skin.

"Don't!" Touma called out and Neo turned back toward him. He didn't let Ruby go, or the situation might escalate, but he knew he wouldn't be able to reach Neo in time to stop her from his position. "Please, Neo. It's over. Don't go any further."

 _This shouldn't be this hard!_ Neo fumed silently, mostly at herself. Any normal situation, she would have cut Blake's head off. Only Roman could have gotten her to stop. Anyone else, she would have just ignored. It wasn't like Neo was a psycho. While she may enjoy bullying her victims, she knew when and when not to kill. Many times, killing did not go unnoticed. Sometimes, you needed them alive for information. This was not one of those times. The two girls were a threat to Roman's operation and have interfered one too many times. They needed to be put down. Ruby continued trying to yell and plead with Touma to get off and help her stop Neo, but they ignored her. Well, Neo did, but she could tell Touma was listening, but choosing not to react right now. The anger from Blake's glare was still on her.

"Roman wants us to head back!" Touma shouted desperately. He was running out of options. By stressing the importance of leaving now, he might be able to let the two girls live. _I know we are in a world consumed by violence and monsters, but Ruby and Blake are good people and don't deserve to die._ "Knock her out and let's go." It was a risk and Neo might not agree to it, but he knew there was good inside the mischievous little girl.

 _Interesting._ Neo thought about it for a second, her mind racing. The train was doomed anyways, as it was supposed to crash and explode under Vale. If the girl was knocked unconscious, she would die once the train reached the end of the tracks. Normally, Neo wouldn't risk it, as they could possibly escape, even with the horde of Grimm chasing the train. The thing was, Touma would still believe in her if she did. This meant if they got out, she could keep him by her side and Roman would be able to use his power for future endeavors. There was a lot of benefit keeping the charade up. _If this is a mistake, Roman is going to annoy the hell out of me._

Neo kicked Blake in the side of the head.

"BLAAKKEE!" Ruby cried out in horror. Touma's hand slipped off of her and she charged forward. Instead of attacking her, Neo jumped back and let Ruby reach the unconscious girl.

 _That should keep the hero type busy,_ Neo thought smugly and drifted over to Touma. Touma accepted her hand to help him up and he looked at her.

"Is she…?" he asked.

' _Unconscious.'_ That was the single word she typed in her scroll before putting it away.

"Neo… thanks," Touma told her in completely honestly. Neo's face felt hot staring into his eyes and she looked away in embarrassment and maybe a tiny bit of guilt. She would have to explain it later. To mask her feelings, she grabbed his shirt and started to drag him toward the door to head back to Roman, when it burst open.

Weiss flew through the air and landed near Ruby and Blake.

"Weiss?!" Ruby cried out in shock. "What happened?"

"That guy is tough," Weiss mumbled and then notice Blake was unconscious. "Is she okay?!"

"Just unconscious," Ruby reassured her. "But it's three of them against us too." The Lieutenant began to walk into the car, but they got help from a surprising source.

"Leave them!" Touma told him. "Roman needs us back to the front car. We don't have much time." The Lieutenant looked like he was about to argue, but a quick glare from Neo silence him. The three of them took off and the door slammed behind them, blocking the three girls from their sight. "Roman was fighting someone, but he said he could handle it."

"I doubt that guy would lose to kids," the Lieutenant growled. "And even if he could, he would have three or more escape paths planned out." Neo nodded in agreement.

"So where is this train going anyways?" Touma asked, as they passed through the next car. The Lieutenant was about to reply, but Neo silenced him by moving her finger across her neck where Touma couldn't see. The Lieutenant merely shrugged. They entered the next car, where Touma had left Roman, to find it deserted. "He must have gone up ahead." There wasn't any need for him to say that. The other two were perfectly aware of what Roman would do. They ran at full speed through the next couple of cars and finally found Roman. He spun around and grinned when he saw who it was.

"Good to see you three," Roman greeted them. "I take it things went smoothly."

"They were just kids," the Lieutenant pointed out. "Though that Schnee was unexpected."

"Are you okay?" Touma asked Roman, after noticing his suit was cut in a couple places.

"He slipped out of the car when he realized he wasn't going to win," laughed Roman. "He must have climbed on the roof to assist his other companions, who seem to be rampaging through the rest of the White Fang."

"We need to help them then," Touma declared instantly. Roman glanced at him and then raised an eyebrow at Neo, who was miming frantically to tell Roman what had transpired.

 _Good girl,_ Roman thought impressed. _Use a resource as long as possible._ "We would," Roman told him. "If we didn't have another problem. Our sensors picked up that there is a blockade before we reach our destination. We have time to stop, but someone on the outside cut the breaks. We are on a doomed train."

"What are we doing to do then?" Touma asked. The Lieutenant held his tongue. Even though he knew that was bullshit, Roman was telling the kid a lie for a reason. The blockade was simply the seal to keep any Grimm from entering Vale through the underground tunnels.

That was the White Fang's true target with the train loaded with bombs.

It was a suicide mission for them all at this point.

"I already sent out the evacuation order," Roman said a lot calmer than one would expect. It only increased his air of professionalism. "They are retreating from branching side tunnels if they get a chance. The driver was already long gone once we realized the breaks were gone. Neo, if you would be a doll. Get us out of here before we crash." Neo nodded and slipped in between them, when her eyes widened and she started miming quickly to him. "Right…" She and Roman turned to look at Touma. "I was so used to your power by now, it slipped my mind."

"What's the problem?" Touma asked, though he had an inkling it had to do with their escape path.

"Neo, here," Roman explained. "Has the ability to teleport. The plan was to get us out of the way before we crashed, but your hand would undoubtedly prevent that."

"It would," Touma confirmed. "Teleportation doesn't work on me." He sighed and looked around. "You might as well go. I'll find a way out myself." He felt a tug on his sleeve and saw Neo glaring at him. Roman shook his head.

"That's brave, but suicidal." He tapped his cane on the ground. "Tell me about a possible plan, we have time."

"I was thinking," Touma began. "Most of these crates are shock proof so that if they fall, dust won't explode, right?"

"Yes," the Lieutenant confirmed. "The last thing we need is explosives going off mid route."

"What if I hop into one of them with some padding stolen from a few others?" Touma continued. "The dust is going to go off anyways, so it doesn't matter if it's out of the box." Roman, Neo, and the Lieutenant blinked.

"Genius!" Roman declared. "I'll say, you are quite resourceful. If you make it out of this, I'll be sure to find you. Use whatever you need." He gestured all around him and then turned to the Lieutenant. "I have one thing I need some muscle with before we crash. So we need to hurry." The Lieutenant nodded and they left through the heavy metal door to the next car. Touma didn't waste any time and started to unload one of the crates large enough for him to get in. Neo helped out by opening another and started to remove the shock insulation. Once they got enough, Touma slipped into the box and started packing as much insulation around him while leaving some room to breathe. When he was finished, he was about to close the lid, only to find Neo holding it.

"I'll be fine," he reassured her. "I've lived through worse than this." Neo tilted her head. "Seriously, crazy stuff happens to me. Instead, I want to thank you again."

Neo looked confused and pointed to herself while mouthing, _me_?

"I know it wasn't easy to let those two go," Touma said. "Roman and you… have no doubt done some bad things. And there's probably a reason behind it, but you had the opportunity to do what was right. I know you have some good in you and, if you ever need help, I'll be there." Neo's lips tightened and she leaned forward to look him directly in the eyes. "Neo? Is something-…"

She didn't let him finish and leaned forward to kiss him on the lips.

"W-wha-..!?" he stammered before Neo fitted the lid and the lock clicked into place. The lock could be opened from the inside, so the risk of him suffocating for being trapped in the box was lessened, assuming he wasn't caught under a pile of rubble. He called out to her, but the box muffled his voice. Neo turned and walked away in the direction of Roman and the Lieutenant.

His words had made her stomach churn uncomfortably.

* * *

"What do we do now?" Weiss asked the others. They finally managed to wake Blake up and then retrieved the fallen weapons.

"We have to go after them," Blake declared and then flinched. Her head suddenly started to spin for a moment.

"You are in no condition to fight," Weiss told her sternly. "And I'm pretty beat up myself. Ren went up ahead, but since Touma Kamijou returned, Ren must have failed."

"Do you think Ren's…?" Ruby's voice trailed off.

"I doubt it," Weiss reassured her. "The boy didn't seem to be the type to let people get killed and Ren is smart enough to retreat. We should try to find him though."

"Ruby," Blake said and turned to their leader. "You know we have to go after him."

"I know," Ruby agreed. "It was thanks to him you got out of this, but-…"

"But what!?" Blake snapped.

"Weiss also has a point," Ruby said meekly. "We should meet up with the others and go from there."

"Good plan," Weiss encouraged.

"I can't believe you two," Blake growled. "We are this close to stopping Torchwick and rescuing Touma, yet you want to run away?"

"Not running away," Weiss explained. "Strategic retreat."

"We don't have the power to break through Torchwick's people," Ruby added desperately. "We need to regroup with the others and fight our way to the front." Her silver eyes turned to look at Blake directly in hers. "Neo took both of us on at once and won. Can you honestly tell me we could stop her right now?"

"No." Blake hated to admit it and averted her eyes.

"Then let's get to the roof and meet the others," Ruby declared in a much stronger voice. "It might actually be easier to run over the top to reach the front."

"Fine." Blake sheathed Gambol Shroud reluctantly and followed Weiss and Ruby up through the rooftop hatch. Once at top, they saw Bartholomew and Jaune's team way up ahead. The number of White Fang and Paladins had been severely reduced. One Paladin was floating in midair, the weapons on its side crumpling by an unseen force. A second later, it was thrown off the side of the train.

 _Pyrrha,_ the three of them thought and ran forward to help. It didn't look like it was needed though. Most of the White Fang were long gone and the remaining Paladins were destroyed. As they approached, their presence was noticed by Bartholomew and Nora. A familiar guy was behind held up by her.

"Ren!" Ruby cried happily. "You made it!"

"Yeah," Ren nodded and then grimaced. "I wasn't able to apprehend Torchwick though. I was forced to retreat when I realized the situation was impossible."

"We didn't have any luck either," Weiss added. "Torchwick had some very skilled security."

"For hurting Ren," Nora growled angrily. "Next time I see him, I'm going to break his legs."

"I take it the bombs are still onboard?" Bartholomew asked them.

"There were too many crates to check them all," Weiss explained. "Then we were attacked and were forced to retreat."

"I see," Bartholomew said grimly. "That leaves us with stopping the train as our only option."

"Guys!" Jaune called out when he noticed them. He, Pyrrha, and Yang ran over to them.

"You guys took them all out?" Ruby asked.

"We were," Yang said. "But then they started to flee after seeing how amazing we are." Her eyes fell on Blake, Ruby, and Weiss in turn, noting their torn clothes and bruised body. "What happened to you lot? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Blake said dismissively.

"We ran into Torchwick's bodyguard, Neo," Ruby explained. "Yang, she's really strong. I don't think even you would stand a chance."

"There's no way I would lose," Yang bragged.

"It's good to see you all again," Pyrrha added. "The top of the train is cleared now so, doctor, what should we do?"

"With disabling the bombs off the table," Bartholomew said hurriedly. "We need to get to the front of the train and hit the emergency brakes."

"Sounds easy enough," Jaune said with a shrug. "Everything is clear now."

"That's kind of suspicious," Ren murmured.

"They were just in awe of how amazing we were," Nora reassured him. "You should have seen us. Yang and I knocked down a hundred people before each of us grabbed the arms of a Paladin and tore it in half. My half was bigger so I got the wish."

"Lucky," Yang muttered. Of course, none of that happened, but they were all use to Nora's wild stories by now. Nora and Yang had only held the paladin's weapons back so Pyrrha could tear it in half with her polarity. Jaune had managed to withstand several large explosive shells with his shield, surprising Yang. She always knew Jaune was durable, but to stand his ground and not even scratch his shield was pretty impressive against the Paladin's firepower.

"Chattering is unproductive right now," Bartholomew reprimanded. "We need to stop this train."

"Eh, guys?" Ruby squeaked and raised a hand to point in the distance.

"What is it, Rubes?" Jaune asked and then his eyes moved to where she was pointing. "Is that…oh god! We are going to die!" Everyone turned and there were similar expressions of shock. The train had just reached a straightaway and far in the distance, there was a large wall. The train was heading directly toward it with no signs of slowing down. With all the bombs on board, the force of the crash was sure to set off a chain reaction, regardless of how much shock proofing the crates had. They also had no doubt the bombs scattered throughout the train were set up with either a sensitive trigger or timed to go off during the crash.

"What do we do?" Ruby asked Bartholomew.

"I have an idea!" Weiss shouted. "Everyone gather around." No one decided to argue and the nine of them moved close together. Weiss took her rapier and hit the roof with it. A thick floor of ice formed under them and then grew into walls around them. They kept growing in segments and then formed a ceiling. Once they were all completely enveloped, the ice casing kind of resembled a lotus flower. Weiss didn't stop there and used all of her remaining ice dust to strengthen their protective shell. The theory was the impact would be lessened by the ice and their Aura would be able to absorb the rest of the blow. Weiss wasn't taking any chances and used all of her ice dust to make the shell as strong as possible.

The train collided into the wall at the end of the tunnel.

The resulting explosion shook Vale.

* * *

No one in the city could have expected what was about to happen.

It was a sunny day, the streets were packed with all the citizens going about their business. There were no warning alarms, no signs of danger, and then everything changed in a single moment. The ground in the center of the plaza exploded. The sound of continuous explosions, rocks crashing into the ground and nearby buildings, and metal debris clanging dulled out the sounds of people screaming in shock and terror. Once the initial explosions died, large chunks of ice rained down into the streets, along with a multitude of people. The dust made it hard to specifically identify anyone. Once the explosion's completely ceased, a few brave people started to inch forward, trying to see what happened. The people who had appeared during the attack began to stir.

 _Ow!_ Jaune thought with a grimace, as he rubbed his head. He opened his eyes at the fuzzy scenery and blinked to try to get things to focus. Thanks to his strong Aura and constantly being beaten up in combat class, he might actually have to thank Glynda about that sometimes, he could take blows like a champ. "Ruby, P-Pyrrha, Nora, Ren?!" he called out, coughing slightly when the dust got into his throat. The air started to clear and he saw Yang and Nora getting up too. "Yang! Nora! You two okay?!"

"I've been better," Yang complained and rubbed her head.

"Pancakes would make things better," Nora grumbled and started to climb to her feet.

"Ruby?!" Yang called out, looking around frantically for her sister.

"I'm okay, Yang!" Ruby cried back. She looked at the two girls laying near her. "Weiss, Blake, can you stand?"

"I want to sit in a bath for a year," Weiss grumbled and grabbed a piece of rubble to help her up.

"I'll live," Blake answered.

"Ren!" Nora cried out. "Where are you!?"

"I'm here, Nora." Ren was already up on his feet, but he was wobbling slightly. The explosion didn't help his stamina since he was already weakened by his fight with Torchwick.

"Professor?" Pyrrha called out.

"Doctor!"

"Everyone's accounted for," Ruby called out to Jaune.

"We should probably check to ensure no one was hurt by the explosion…" His voice trailed off when he saw the civilians getting closer. The dust in the air was mostly clear. "Don't come any closer!" he yelled at them. "Get away to safety!"

"Who are you and what happened?!" someone shouted.

"Grimm are on their way through the tunnel!" Ruby explained frantically. "Everyone needs to get out of here!"

"Are you crazy?!"

"She must have hit her head during the explosion."

"Someone call the police!"

"They don't believe us," Yang muttered angrily to Blake.

"Doesn't matter," she replied. "We have to get them away from here."

A lone howl echoed up from the tunnel.

Everyone froze.

"What was that?!" countless civilians asked and turned in fear. The howl was immediately followed by countless more, high and low pitched, and what could be thought of claws or something large clicking on metal. This was both good and bad news. The good news was the civilians now believed Ruby. The bad news, fear was about to set. If there was one thing that attracted Grimm, it was negative emotions.

"Ladies and gentleman," Bartholomew addressed the crowd. "My name is Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck, professor at Beacon. A train of explosives has opened a hole into Vale, which a large number of Grimm are moving towards. If everyone could please evacuate in a calm and orderly manner, we shall ensure that none of them leave this vicinity until reinforcements arrive." Announcing himself as a teacher might have allowed them to keep some semblance of order. Everything changed when the first pitch black claw climbed out of the hole. The Beowolf opened its mouth and howled in triumphant. Countless more howls followed it and more Grimm began to rise from the abyss.

All hell broke out.

Civilians started screaming and running in every direction as an endless tide of Grimm began to pour out of the whole. The fear and terror everyone was excluding was only causing the Grimm to escape faster, drawn to the negative emotions. The more Grimm that emerged, the more civilians were terrified, and then more Grimm were drawn in. It was an endless cycle until one side was destroyed. One of the Beowolves charged toward a young man and woman. Frozen in terror, they weren't able to respond.

The Beowolf fell a few feet from them with a sword in the back of its head.

"Please run," Pyrrha told them, as she grabbed her sword and turned toward the tide of Grimm. The two civilians muttered something along the lines of thanks and took off.

"We have to hold them back!" Ruby cried out to everyone. "So the civilians can escape. We are the only line of defense!"

"Circle the encampment," Jaune ordered his team. "We got this side."

"Team RWBY!" Ruby directed. "Cover our half."

"On it, Fearless Leader!" Nora shouted and bounded over, smashing an Ursa in the head with her hammer. "Hey, Pyrrha. Once this is done, we should have Ren make us pancakes."

"That will be something to look forward to," Pyrrha agreed. Ren sighed, but he smiled all the same. His guns slipped out of his sleeves and formed a wall with the rest of his team.

 _You can do this,_ Jaune thought to himself. _All that training, the practice in Mt. Glenn, your team, this is the moment._ He took a deep breath and tried to exude all the confidence he could muster, or at least fake. "Team JNPR, do not let a single Grimm pass! We will hold this line as long as necessary!"

"So will we!" Ruby announced to her team.

"I wouldn't be able to live with myself if Vomit Boy holds out longer than I can," Yang said and punched a Beowolf charging at her. It was sent flying. Her gauntlets cocked into place. "I got this."

"It's what we joined Beacon to do," Weiss added and held out her rapier. "This is what we trained for."

"And it's partially our fault for being unable to stop it," Blake murmured softly so that no one else heard it. Her thoughts kept drifting to Touma. Thanks to his interference, Neo spared her, which meant Blake was in his debt twice. _And we let him escape with Torchwick. There's no telling what kind of vile acts Torchwick is tricking him into helping with._ She raised her blade in one hand with her sheath in the other.

The eight Hunters and Huntresses in training surrounding the hole as the tide of Grimm continued to swarm out. Even with Bartholomew there, they were vastly outnumber by Grimm. Right now, it was defensible, but once the news spread out to the rest of the city, the panic would only increase. The terror of knowing their city's fortification was broken and Grimm were flooding in would only cause negative emotions to spread, which in turn would cause more Grimm in the surrounding area to approach. They would grow tired while the Grimm kept approaching.

Things were only going to get worse.

* * *

"Seems like we never get a chance to rest," Coco laughed to Velvet. Those two, Fox, and Yatsuhashi were standing and holding onto the handles attached to the ceiling.

"It couldn't be helped," Velvet replied. "We were the only second years available."

"And sending multiple groups without assessing the situation could lead to unnecessary casualties," Yatsuhashi added.

"Still," Coco continued and pointed toward the fifth member of their group. "Sending a newbie with us to help out? Without a weapon?"

"Ozpin simply knows I'm the best person for an extermination job," Accelerator answered cockily. "Besides, I am a weapon. What are you going to do, hit them with your purse?" A hand motioned to Coco's brown handbag. He was really only there because Last Order wanted him to help out her new friends. When she looked at him with tears in her eyes, even Accelerator had to act.

"I might hit you with it," Coco retorted.

"There is no need to fight," Yatsuhashi interrupted. "If Ozpin said this young man would be capable, I have no reason to doubt his skills."

"Coco," Velvet added. "You shouldn't be picking fights with allies. Perhaps you could try to be friendlier?" Coco lowered her glasses and stared at Velvet for a moment.

"Alright, Bun-Bun," Coco conceded and turned to Accelerator. "So, Ice King." Accelerator didn't even flinch at the name to avoid giving her any satisfaction. "Since you seem confident in your skills and we were told to exterminate all the Grimm breaking into Vale, how about a small wager? The one who kills the most Grimm wins? If you lose, I'll have you act as the baggage boy for my next shopping trip. I'll even point out some outfits that would suit you instead of those drab clothes." Fox and Yatsuhashi flinched at this. Both of them had been baggage handlers for Coco when she goes on a shopping trip. It was nightmarish and always ended with them collapsed on the ground when they returned to Beacon.

"When I win?" Accelerator asked with an eyebrow raised.

" _If_ you win," Coco corrected him and grinned. "I'll let you take me out to coffee in Vale." Velvet's eyes widened.

"Both of those sound like a punishment," Accelerator replied with a smirk. Fox and Velvet had to hide their amusement at his words. Coco was very attractive and guys usually did not say no to her. Coco's scowl sobered them up immediately. "And a pain, but I'll play your game, if only to prove how amazing I am. Maybe you can talk about my greatness to the rest of the people trying to bother me so they will leave me alone."

"How long until we arrive?" Yatsuhashi asked Velvet, before another argument could happen. It was unusual to see someone stand up to Coco so readily, but now was not the time for it to escalate.

"Ten minutes," Velvet answered. "But Team RWBY and JNPR should have already engaged the Grimm." She looked worried.

"Do not worry," Yatsuhashi reassured her. "Both of their teams are quite skilled and will be able to handle themselves."

"As long as they can keep the Grimm relatively contained," Fox spoke up and sounded slightly irritated. "Then we should be fine."

"Something wrong, Fox?" Coco asked. "You've been kind of irritated since we left. It's not like you to be fidgety."

"Just a feeling," Fox mumbled and stared into the distance. "Like we are approaching something… unnatural."

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **Current Ship Names:**

 **Touma and Yang: Fistbump / Punchline/ Imagine Dragon/ Love at First Punch**

 **Touma and Weiss: Cool to the Touch / Princess and the Pauper / Shattered Mirror**

 **Touma and Ruby: Blossoming / Thorny Rose / Speedy Rescue / Innocently Indecent/ Nectar of the Gods.**

 **Touma and Blake: Nine Lives / Bad Luck / Kami-Nyaan**

 **Touma and Velvet: Bunny Couple / Rabbit's Foot**

 **Touma and Penny: Android's Dream / Faulty Electronics**

 **Touma and Ren: Lotus Fist**

 **Touma and Jaune: Better Luck Next Time**

 **Touma and Nora: Glutton for Punishment / Divine Sparks**

 **Touma and Pyrrha: Babe Magnet**

 **Touma and Coco: Black Coffee/ Stylish Illusion**

 **Touma and Glynda: Teacher's Pet / Promise Lands**

 **Touma and Adam: Chronic Crusaders**

 **Touma and Emerald: Shattered Illusions / Illusion Breaker / Portmanteau Poverty**

 **Touma and Twins: Triple Threat / Cerberus**

 **Touma and Cinder: Through the Fire and Flame / Fire Demons / Sinner and Savior/ A Match Made In Hellfire**

 **Touma and Neo: Uncertain Flavor / Breaking Reality/ Stockholm Slasher Romance**

 **Touma and Salem: Burning Witch / Light and Shadow / Shattering Darkness/ Grimm Chances of Survival**

 **Touma and Summer: Summer Break.**

 **Touma and Raven: Alpha and Omega**

 **Touma and Qrow: Misfortune Squared / Bad luck Charms**

 **Accelerator and Weiss: Cold and Calculating / Ice Vector / A Frosty Reception**

 **Accelerator and Yang: Road Rage / Short Fuse / Way of the Dragon**

 **Accelerator and Ruby: One-Way Rose / No Brakes / Rose Manipulation**

 **Accelerator and Blake: Twilight Arrow / Chain and Sickly / Chasing Shadows**

 **Accelerator and Nora: Shattered Bones / Broken Dreams / Nerve Impulse**

 **Accelerator and Velvet: White Flash / Hopping Mad**

 **Accelerator and Glynda: Fix and Destroy**

 **Accelerator and Penny: String Theory/ Broken Toys**

 **Accelerator and Sun: Sunny and Sullen**

 **Accelerator and Adam: Charging Bull**

 **Accelerator and Mercury: Killer Moves**

 **Accelerator and Emerald: Red Eyed Killers**

 **Accelerator and Coco: Fashionable Disaster/ Fashion is a Science**

 **Accelerator and Pyrrha: Opposites Attract**

 **Accelerator and Raven: Yang's Nightmare/ Fallen Feathers**


	16. Breach

**Happy New Year everyone. I finally got around the writing the next chapter and hope you enjoy it. Based on the reviews, there are certain things people are looking forward to, including what happened to Touma. After so much set up, everyone is finally going to meet, one way or other. On a different note, Jaune's Semblance has been revealed. It's not quite what I was hoping it would be, but better than it could have been. I'm not going to spoil it for people who haven't seen it yet and I ask no one else does in the comments. The use though, unlocks quite a lot of possibilities for this story. Well, enough of my prattling. Let's move onto comments and then the actual chapter.**

 **Tiberiuas: Lot of characters and no single person is the main one. He will have plenty of scenes though.**

 **Purrple Cate: Touma's the kind of guy who will save anyone. He will do everything in his power to put her on the right track.**

 **MEleeSmasher: Let's just say, Cinder and Salem will realize his power could be the key to something… big.**

 **Slash Aogetsu: A lot of people want to see that, but it can't come out ALL the time. It loses impact.**

 **six samurai of dragon order: Delay is real to write decent length chapters.**

 **Guest: Touma has raised a lot of flags.**

 **dickythamrin077: Take it however you want. It will be revealed soon.**

 **LL: Touma's friends would beat him up for daring to get a girl to kiss him. The Delta Force has to be cursed to be single their entire lives. Bets are always a big mistake.**

 **G119: Hype is real.**

 **IlluminatiAnimeLover789: Holidays were hectic and I didn't start writing again seriously until early January.**

 **TheRealSquibbyJ: Providers have paid a lot of money to get it passed.  
**

 **alaude hibari: Hair You Go Again isn't bad.**

 **kisshot: Pretty much. Eww, no! That will never happen. Neo's going to have a lot more interactive roll in this story than she did in the actual series. Hmm, new wings you say? What about gold?**

 **ParadoxVictor: I don't know, Touma x Salem called to me more. Ren doesn't say much, so it's nice to delve into his mind occasionally. Oh, I plan to have fun with that little bit. Being healed by dust, his body is sort of returning to a normal boy his age, minus the ridiculous power of his. Yang will discover this at some point. Containers are plot items.**

 **Timber: You think? Coco might be interested in who Touma is based on what other people say about him. Accelerator will shrug and mock Touma for not showing up earlier.**

 **Pasapack: Well, it's after the Othinus arc, so he has a pretty good idea SOMETHING is there. And you will have to read for yourself if it will appear or not.**

 **Kuvukiland: Accel? Being shipped? Impossible! Last Order got a lot of screen time, didn't she? Will they fight? Maybe? They need a good reason too.**

 **Fernandamichelleraya: Kids with massive weapons capable of killing adults. Accelerator is a lolicon, obviously. He likes them flat. Heh.**

 **The Rupture: Accelerator's healing is not fully understood. If he overuses it, he might pass out. Better not to take that risk. He's noticed a few minor changes already. Neo is best girl. The Magician guy is currently on his way to meet Salem for something further down the road and new plot points.**

 **Bootlegwat: Wait not more!**

 **Animan10: Oh, Touma will know Roman is the bad guy, that's not going to be up for debate, it's other things that might still be blurry. I know Dragon Fist works, but I always found it kind of bland.**

 **Mrcrazyman94: Read and find out. Accelerator lets loose if you touch the loli. NEVER touch the loli.**

 **Guest: Funny enough, Blake would do something like that because of her smut… I mean artistic books.**

 **WiliamZ0: His first kiss on Remnant at least, it stands out. Neo's not easily forgettable. She doesn't allow herself to be. Misunderstandings will be made. Touma could use some exercise running away from the Dragon. Will he win? The bet was the most kills, not the flashiest ones. Accelerator and Touma team up means enemies lose. Just how it is. Fox not having a huge role in the series, leaves some creative room to add a few things. Touma just needs to bring Neo with him to Beacon to make things fun… for her. Misfortune for him.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: Minor things are minor for purpose of story.**

 **Tecpatl: It will happen, soon.**

 **KnightOfZaku: Neo is a fan favorite for a lot of stories because she is so under used. So far, only two of Team RWBY are possibly interested in him. Everyone else has other things to worry about. With most of the Hunters using melee weapons to slice up Grimm, they probably won't worry about him shattering their bodies by touch.**

 **Jonathan Ngoh: It might break open after being surrounded by explosives and crashing into something? Sun does things, not important things, but things. Accelerator with a weapon… that deserves some consideration.**

 **Handsomistic1: All good things must end. He becomes popular and starts a brothel obviously.**

 **Phoenix 7.49: You understand the purpose of the bet! Badass and cocky attitudes for sure. Your pairing skills are impressive, though I could think of one or two ways those two could fall for Touma. Not Pyrrha though, Arkos is much better.**

 **Formboy1: They did worse? Maybe. The pairings weren't as beneficial this time around, but Neo is a lot stronger than any of the students, except for maybe Pyrrha. That was kind of the point though. The top was cleared quickly, even without the awesome of Zwei. Touma wants to see the good in people, so he overlooks a few minor issues. But yes, misfortune never lets things go as plan. Lost Change? Explain that ship name to me.**

 **Guest: The correct term is "ability user." Esper is an American translation.**

 **Sergio644: Touma does things no one expects.**

 **The 10th Wand: He's hard to write about unless he's the focus. Fights usually end too fast so you have to focus on his mental state.**

 **Croniklerx: Aww, I missed you and wondered what was up. I actually caught up with Season 5 of RWBY not too long ago. My Index story starts off kind of squeamish, but gets a lot better alter on. First real story I started writing and you can tell the experience I gained doing so. Season III of Index should be great, if they actually cover the important things. I stream most anime online. Touma makes the bad girls turn good. It's his thing. The thing with Neo is you HAVE to delve into her mind. Otherwise you only see her acting or stabbing someone. Oh god, Lessar and Neo teaming up.** _ **Shiver**_ **. Touma has always been creative when the fight goes south. Fourth wall break there with Yang.**

 **Guest: Well, it's on youtube, so as long as you have internet, you should be able to watch. That is something worthy of note. Touma may have been tricked, but he will hold himself responsible for his actions. Not sure if Neo would find Last Order cute? She might have different tastes. Accelerator might actually like Neo because she, DOESN'T TALK. He hates when people bother him.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

Vale was in chaos.

The explosion had caused a lot of panic in the streets close enough to hear, but far enough away to prevent investigation. This would have died down naturally, if it wasn't for the screams of terror and the howls of Grimm. Street by street began to realize what happened and the panic only grew. Traffic formed and many vehicles crashed as everyone tried to flee. The collective terror of the citizens began to grow exponentially. This fear called out to the Grimm. The ones in the tunnel rushed out to find the source and emerged into the city. This might have been handled before it spread too far, but something else happened. The amount of people fearing the Grimm called even more. The Grimm around the city began to converge. The automatic turrets along the wall began to fire and the security detail were unable to leave their posts to help out with the breach. Another breach would only make the situation even more dire. They had to rely on the security inside the city and any available Hunters and Huntresses would be able to handle the situation. They didn't like their position either and that negative outlook continued to draw in Grimm. Some of the larger Nevermores, large black birdlike Grimm with white masks, flew over the walls and headed toward the sound of the explosion.

There was nothing security could do about them right now.

Only eight Hunters and Huntresses-in-Training and one Hunter were able to slow the tide of Grimm. The police were doing their best to evacuate the rest of the populace from the area.

"Heyah!" Ruby cried out, as she bolted forward toward a pack of Beowolves. Crescent Rose's blade was only a blur as she continued to slash through Grimm after Grimm. Even if they approached her from the side, a simple circular motion of the scythe made quick work of them. After a dozen or so fell, Ruby was forced to jump back as an Ursa barreled toward her.

"Move aside sis!" Ruby jumped to her right instinctively as Yang dashed past her. Yang pulled her arm back and delivered a straight punch right into the Ursa's nose. Its face collapsed and the force sent it flying backwards into two Beowolves, crushing them under its weight. Using her momentum, Yang continued running forward and jumped on one of the smaller Creeps. Her weight temporarily pushed it down, but it pushed itself back up. Using this momentum, she simultaneously jumped, using her aura to reach greater heights. Her gauntlets clicked and Yang started punching midair. Each motion sent one of her dust rounds into a pack of Grimm. The explosions wiped out several of the smaller ones, but larger ones with armor, like the Ursa, weren't hurt as badly because of the distance. A couple problems were quickly realized now that Yang was high up in the air. First, movability was limited, unless she used up one of her dust rounds. Second, the Nevermores had just arrived, being attracted to the source of the negative emotions. "Oh, crap!" Yang shouted. "Incoming Nevermores!" She hoped someone would notice. One of the larger ones began to descend on her. The talon's claws opened up and prepared to grab her, as she tried to spin around in midair to get a better angle.

Sniper fire began to impact the Nevermore's face as Ruby continued to fire round after round.

"Don't you touch her!" Ruby screamed and continued to fire. The distance wasn't enough to do serious damage to the Grimm, but one shot hit its eye and the angle of attack was shifted. Yang crossed her arms defensively as only part of the talon hit her. The force of the blow was still enough to send her flying toward the ground. "Jaune!" Ruby cried out. "Above you!" Ruby would have tried to catch Yang herself, but the Grimm began to surround her again. She could get through them and rescue Yang. There was also the fact Ruby was not physically strong like the others. Yang's weight would crush her. Not like Ruby would ever say that out loud.

"Huh?!" Jaune had just cut down his third Creep and looked up. His eyes widened. "I got you Yang!" he called out and stepped back with his arms outstretched, careful to keep his sword pointed away from both of them. He braced himself because previous experience told him having his feet planted on the ground was a lot safer than jumping with his arms outstretched. Initiation had been rough for him. Back then, it had been Weiss, who was admittingly a lot lighter than Yang due to her physique. Not like Jaune would ever say that out loud. Yang would kill him. When she fell into Jaune, he realized just how heavy she was. Yang was a boxer style fighter and had a lot of muscle.

Jaune collapse to the ground on his back under Yang, winded and sore, but both of them were alive.

"Ow," Yang said and rubbed her head. "Thanks for the save, Lady Killer." She looked down at Jaune. "Are you going to continue _lying_ around or get up and help?" Jaune groaned and she laughed. Yang jumped to her feet and punched a Beowolf approaching them, before helping Jaune to his feet. "Seriously, thanks for the catch. That would have hurt."

"Glad to be of help," Jaune replied and held up his sword as more Grimm approached. Yang ran forward into another group of Grimm. Jaune sighed and turned to see his next opponent.

An Ursa Major.

 _Shit!_ Jaune's face paled as the large bear Grimm stood up on its hind legs and towered over him. _You can do this. It's just an Ursa Major. Remember Forever Falls._ Jaune started slashing wildly with his sword and each blow continued to pick up speed. He was in a half panicked state and didn't fully understand what he was doing. The Grimm was held back by the flurry of blows and when Jaune's arm finally grew tired, he paused for a moment. The Ursa Major didn't move at first. Then it swayed and then fell forwards, dead. Jaune sighed in relief, but felt enthusiastic. An Ursa Major was a different class than a simple Beowolf or Creep. _Yes! The last time wasn't a fluke._ He blinked and looked around as more Grimm began to approach. _We are all going to die!_

Unknown to Jaune, one person had been keeping an eye on him personally. A small smile formed on Pyrrha's face as she turned away and focused on her own opponents. Her sword had changed into its spear form and she was wielding it two handed. The shield counterpart was still attached to her back. While she normally used the shield and sword combo, it was much better against a single opponent. The spear form was better against multiple enemies. She thrust the spear into the head of a Creep and then, in one fluid motion, pulled it out and smacked it into another, sending it flying. An Ursa swung its paw at her and she twisted out of the way. A quick jab with her spear impaled it in the gut. Using her momentum, she positioned herself under the Ursa's center of gravity and swung her spear, along with the Ursa. The Ursa went flying into a Beowolf, but Pyrrha wasn't one to waste a moment. Her spear found itself embedded into the jaws of a Creep trying to reach her. A quick flick of her wrist and the blade pieced the Grimm's head. It fell and she turned to examine the battlefield now that she had the opportunity.

 _We are holding our ground,_ she thought. _But there is no end in sight of the Grimm and we are slowly getting pushed away from the hole. We have to plug it up._ The ground shook around them and she felt her stomach drop. _That's not a good sign._ The ground between her and Jaune started cracking. A moment later, a large black snake head emerged from the ground. Pyrrha pulled back her spear and prepared to do battle with the King Taijitu when a movement in the air behind it made Pyrrha smile.

"NORA, SMASH!" The hyperactive and obnoxiously loud voice declared before the small ginger haired girl swung her mighty hammer down onto the King Taijitu's head. A sickening crash and the Grimm collapsed under Nora's strength. The rest of Team JNPR all knew about Nora's crazy strength and tried to avoid being the target of her blows. The ground near where Nora landed cracked and the white half of the King Taijitu emerged. Nora acknowledged the threat, but only grinned happily when Ren jumped on its back and used the blades attached to his guns to take it down. The two of them kept one street blocked to prevent the Grimm from moving deeper into the city. With the threat neutralized, Nora started smacking Beowolves, Creeps, and Ursai far into the distance. However, after every swing she looked slightly downtrodden.

"What's wrong, Nora?" Ren asked, after he fired a couple rounds of bullets into the oncoming horde.

"Nothing," Nora replied and swung her hammer, which sent three broken Beowolves flying over forty feet.

"Nora," Ren stated. "You aren't nearly as excited for the amount of Grimm you get to kill today." He flipped over one Beowolf, slashed its neck, and then delivered several quick slashes to a couple Creeps.

"You know me so well, Ren," Nora replied. "I can't hide anything from you." She sent another Ursa flying over the rest of their friends and it crashed into a pack of other Grimm. "Accelerator threw that one Ursa over a mile, I can't even get the Grimm over the buildings."

"It's probably good that you don't," Ren said patiently, while continuing to slice any Grimm approaching them. He occasionally fire his guns to thin down numbers so they didn't get overrun when the Grimm reached them, but he was careful to keep track of his ammo. "It would only increase panic if Grimm started landing in other streets." He looked up at the sky. "Luckily, those Nevermores' seem to be distracted by us and have not moved to other sections."

"I don't call that lucky!" Jaune called out to him, as he avoided several Grimm trying to make a meal out of him.

"That's because you need to kill more until the excitement runs rampant like the syrup from the mighty tree!" Nora yelled back. "Besides," she added. "Ren promised to make his special pancakes for us when we win."

"Did you?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yes," Ren said, even though that wasn't true. He would end up making pancakes one way or another. Their conversation may have seemed lighthearted, but it was really to help mask their fear. The situation was not optimal. True, they were managing to kill dozens of Grimm every minute, but more were pouring out. With the appearance of the King Taijitu, larger Grimm had reached the city and the fights were only going to get tougher. Their stamina was limited, unlike the tide of Grimm. Ren took a deep breath and his eyes flickered to Team RWBY.

Weiss was struggling the most out of all of them. She was a speed fighter and lacked stamina. After the rough fight in the train cars, her Aura and stamina had taken a big hit. Now, without any rest, she had been plunged into the mist of a full out war on the streets of Vale. Failure meant the death of her, her friends, and countless people in Vale. It was not an option. Several Beowolves charged her and she used a series of quick jabs to pierce vital spots on her opponents. Weiss was deliberately fighting conservatively. Taking down enemies with one or two blows allowed her to keep going for much longer than trying to finish her opponents as fast as possible by raining down blows and using dust. She only used dust attacks when absolutely necessary, such as a flame blade when too many Grimm bunched up around her or her friends. There was also the issue of her dust being incredibly low. All of her ice dust had been used up to protect them from the crash.

 _If everyone else can keep fighting,_ Weiss thought to herself. _You can't stop._ Her pride would not allow her to be the weak link. Not only would Yang never let her forget it when this was over, she was sure Accelerator would look down at her if he found out. Last Order would just try to console her like a good girl. It was lucky only the smaller ones approached the street she was guarding. Something large like a King Taijitu or Death Stalker would have been able to skip right passed her. A charging Ursa drew her attention and she conjured a Glyph in front of it to halt it in its tracks. It collided into the Glyph, the force breaking the Glyph, but it collapsed onto the ground, where Weiss was able to jab her rapier into its head. By adding a little gravity dust to her glyphs, she could increase or weaken gravity in that area to repel or block. Crashing into this one was like hitting a wall. The Ursa had been temporarily stunned. She panted and struggled for breath. _I'm really low on Aura. Even a simple glyph is taking its toll._ Her eyes narrowed as she saw a pack of Beowolves charge her location. _They must be able to tell I'm low on Aura,_ Weiss realized. _This is bad._

The sound of gunfire interrupted her thoughts.

Weiss turned her head toward the sound and saw Blake on one knee and aiming her gun at the Grimm approaching Weiss. Blake was using accurate shots to the head to thin the numbers for Weiss. By the time the Grimm reached her, there was only three left, which Weiss easily dispatched. Her eyes met Blake and Weiss gave a short nod in thanks. Blake nodded wordlessly in acknowledgement and turned to the Grimm descending upon her location. Blake would have been able to handle them easily, if another King Taijitu hadn't burst from the ground behind her. Blake's yellow eyes widened in surprise as the snake opened its mouth to reveal sharp fangs.

A jet of flames flew into its open mouth from Weiss's rapier.

King Taijitu's scales would protect it from many types of dust, including fire and cold, but an attack straight down its throat hit its vital organs and it fell. Blake and Weiss closed the gap between them and started fighting back to back. Both of them were exhausted, but were refusing to surrender. Blake was out of ammo, as she had used the last of her bullets to help Weiss, and Weiss still had some fire dust left for long range attacks. Blake's stamina was a little better than Weiss's, possibly due to her Faunus blood, and could handle more close up combat. By working together, there would be less exertion as they wouldn't have to handle all the Grimm around them solo. They could focus on the ones directly in front of them. Weiss continued to jab her opponents with pinpoint precision, completely trusting Blake would take care of the ones behind her.

Blake sliced in half one of the Beowolves with one hand before jumping and using her sheath to crush the head of a Creep. Without stopping to catch her breath, she flipped over the dead Grimm's body and kicked an Ursa in the face. A Beowolf slashed at her, but it passed through an afterimage. The sheath slammed into the Beowolf's head while the sword slashed at the back of the Ursa's neck. Both Grimm fell dead and Blake landed neatly on her feet. The victory was short lived, as more and more Grimm close in on her. She was panting, trying to catch her breath, but she had to keep moving. Every time she swung her arm or jumped, her appendages began to protest. She could keep going, but soon, her body would be screaming in agony. The fight with Neo had really taken a toll on her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the sweat pouring down Weiss's face and her occasional stagger as she was approaching the breaking point. _We can't keep this up,_ Blake thought. _Where is our help?_ A line of Beowolves charged at her and she raised her weapons. At last, her prayers were answered by a loud voice from the street she and Weiss were guarding.

"Help has arrived, ladies!"

Blake and Weiss turned simultaneously toward the voice. Two boys their age appeared, weapons drawn, and stopped on either side of the girls. The first was a tan-skinned boy with short spiky light-blonde hair and dark-gray eyes. He had two red wrist bracers over black fingerless gloves and an open loose-collared white jacket with no shirt underneath, displaying his muscular physique. He also wore blue cargo pants tied up with a white belt. White bandages were on his legs and he had a chain hanging from the belt loop on the right side of his pants. A yellow tail emerged from the back of his pants, indicating he was a monkey Faunus. The weapon in his hand was a red and gold staff.

The second boy also had tan-skinned but with messy light-blue hair that is shaved on the sides and in the back. He wore a white dress shirt, black tie under a red jacket adorned with a wide, upturned, black collar, and a silver reticle across the back. He also sported a pair of gray jeans with black padding strapped to the sides, as well as black shoes fastened with straps instead of laces. Notable accessories within his attire included black fingerless gloves and a pair of yellow-tinted goggles worn on his forehead. A primarily grey gun with a bluish light above the grip was held in his hand.

"Sun?" Blake asked in shock to the yellow haired boy.

"Neptune?" Weiss asked in a similar tone of disbelief to the other.

"Blake," Sun greeted. "I see you guys are still going on wild adventures without us."

"Snow Angel," Neptune greeted Weiss. "We heard the commotion and came as fast as we could." He was the only one who could call Weiss that nickname and not have her get mad.

"We need to prevent them spreading to other parts of Vale as best as we can," Weiss told them.

"On it!" Sun announced loudly. "Take a short break you two and catch your breath. We got this. Neptune, cover me!" Sun rushed toward the oncoming Grimm and proceeded to start smacking them with his staff. Sun always appeared to be highly skilled in martial arts. He smacked one in the face with one side, spun around like a top and proceeded to smack three more and then delivered a jab into the chest of the fifth. The Beowolves out of his reach were blasted back by Neptune's gun. He was firing electrical dust rounds at any Grimm trying to pass Sun.

"Who's that guy?" Neptune asked the girls, pointing to the opening of a far street. A large explosion of flames resulted in countless Grimm falling over, completely scorched. Blake squinted her eyes to see through the flames.

"It's Professor Bartholomew," she answered. "I think he took to guarding the largest street."

"He was our chaperone on our mission," Weiss added. "I haven't seen him fight before… but who would have thought?" Bartholomew was naturally fast and in class, would constantly zip from one side of the room to the other. He was faster than Ruby when she wasn't using her semblance. Any Grimm approaching him wouldn't be able to land a single hit, before being blown away by Bartholomew's well aimed shots. If a group of Grimm swarmed him, they would be engulfed in flames. The street he was guarding was not going to fall anytime soon. Still, the situation hadn't changed, even with Sun and Neptune's arrival.

On the other side of the battlegrounds, Ruby was in the same mindset.

 _What can we do?_ She thought desperately. No matter how many Grimm they killed, more replaced the fallen instantly. Larger Grimm were emerging, including Alpha Beowolves and Ursa Majors, let alone the now continuous arrival of King Taijitu. A car flew behind Ruby and crashed into a group of Grimm, courtesy of Yang. Jaune was holding his own, even if the number of Grimm he cut down was leagues behind the rest. Ren and Nora were performing admirably, but even Nora was growing exhausted. Her blows weren't haven't nearly the same destructive impact as they had in the beginning. Ruby cut down another couple Grimm and a King Taijitu collapsed to her right, a spear embedded deep in its head. A second later, it flew out back to its owner. _Pyrrha still seems fine, but I bet she's hiding it._ Ruby didn't want to show it, but she was exhausted too. Her semblance was taking a lot out of her and she only used it in short bursts to conserve strength. She swung Crescent Rose again and decapitated an Ursa.

"Look out!"

Ruby turned at the warning shout to see a Beowolf way to close toward her. In the commotion, it had snuck up behind an overturned car and block of concrete from when the explosion opened up the city street. She lifted up her weapon defensively, but her reflexes were slowed because of the surprise attack and her own exhaustion. The claws came down at her and Ruby closed her eyes.

She only heard the sound of ringing metal.

 _Wha…?!_ Ruby opened her eyes to see Jaune standing over her, his shield raised.

"Not today," Jaune grunted. "You okay, Rubes?"

"I'm fine," Ruby reassured him. To prove it, she bolted around Jaune and sliced the Beowolf in half. "Thanks for the save."

"We need to regroup," Jaune suggested, as they looked around at their predicament. "We are getting spread out and can't cover each other."

"We don't have a choice," Ruby protested. "The Grimm are pushing us back and we can't let them into the city."

"Maybe we can-…" Whatever plan Jaune was about to suggest was immediately thrown out the window as a large section of the ground began to crack near them.

A second later, a huge Grimm erupted from the ground.

It resembled a giant scorpion. Contrary to most creatures of Grimm, which had black fur or feathers, this Grimm had a jet-black exoskeleton underneath several white, bonelike plates upon its back, which was adorned with red markings. One of the more prominent attributes of this Grimm was the glowing golden stinger on the end of its curved tail. The pair of large pincers clicked menacingly and the red eyes began to survey its surroundings. Its body was larger than a bus, and that wasn't counting its tail, legs, or pincers. This was a Grimm known as a Death Stalker. Team RWBY and JNPR had encountered a larger one during initiation, but they were extremely dangerous. Death Stalker's armor was incredibly tough. Its underbelly was the weakest point, but trying to reach that area was difficult. The pincers could cut people in two and the stinger had poison that could kill people in under a minute.

"So, Jaune?" Ruby asked. "About that plan of yours?"

"Run?" Jaune suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea." The two of them were about to regroup with the others to take down the Death Stalker, when they finally heard something that gave them a shred of hope. It was the sound of engines coming from the sky. The eight students looked up automatically and saw a single bullhead beginning to descend towards them. Maybe it was the sudden change in their emotions or maybe the Grimm understood the sound of engines implied more prey. Whatever the reason, most of them turned to stare at the source of the noise. The purpose was at least lost on them though. Only those who felt relief wash over them could understand the true significance.

Reinforcements had arrived.

The Bullhead drew the attention of the circling Nevermores. The Grimm screeched loudly at the arrivals and the largest one rushed toward it. Ruby gasped as the automatic guns on the Bullhead didn't seem to faze the Nevermore. The bullets bounced right off of its feathers. The Grimm wasn't as large as the ancient one her team had fought during the initiation, but the people on the Bullhead were sitting ducks. The talons could easily cut through steel. The pilot must have realized this because he began to turn, while the back door of the vehicle began to lower. Ruby was too far away to see who was in the Bullhead, but she could make out several figures in the back. One of them walked to the edge and jumped out. They were way too high to normally land safely on the ground, but Ozpin liked to teach his students how to land safety, so Ruby figured the people would know how to survive the fall. However, whoever jumped out did it differently. Instead of falling toward the ground, they change direction in midair toward the approaching Nevermore. The Nevermore screeched again and collided with the flying figure.

Ruby wasn't the only one whose mouth fell open in stunned disbelief.

The giant Nevermore was torn virtually in half. The entire right wing had been ripped from its body in midair.

The small figured began to rocket toward the ground at high speeds, while the left and right side of the Nevermore fell at a much slower pace. Being so big, it had a lot of air resistance. The person who caused the destruction drew closer and Ruby just recognized the person when he collided into the top of the Death Stalker, right through the tail and on its back. The cracking sound piercing the air was twofold. The first was the Death Stalker's armor being shattered into countless pieces. The second was the ground as the Death Stalker was crushed into it. Dust was thrown up into the air and the shockwave pushed everything around the guy away. Ruby and Jaune, being so close to the impact site, were blown back. Ruby felt Jaune's arm wrap around her right before Jaune crashed into a large piece of rubble. He used his body to protect her. Of course, smashing into his armor still hurt, but she appreciated the gesture. The dust cleared and a single white haired boy stood atop of the flattened Grim.

Accelerator stretched and looked rather annoyed. His eyes scanned the scene, taking in everyone's position and the Grimm, and finally stopped on Weiss. "I knew you would all get into trouble," he said to her. "The question was when. The brat begged me to come and help you all."

"I appreciate the gesture," Weiss told him, panting slightly, but a smile tugged at her lips.

"Who's that?" Sun asked Blake and Neptune narrowed his eyes as he glanced between the newcomer and Weiss.

"Accelerator," Blake answered.

"Is he a Hunter?"

"No."

"Then what-…?"

"Just be glad he's here," Blake interrupted and raised her weapons. "Pay attention to the fight. We aren't done yet."

"About time you showed up," Yang yelled. "Did you have a nice _fall_?" Everyone in the area flinched at her pun, except Accelerator. He had a different reaction to her. Around twenty Grimm had charged at him. Maybe they could tell the new guy was dangerous, maybe they attacked him because he was in the middle, or maybe they just had a death wish. Whatever the reason, they regretted it. Every claw or bite the Beowolves, Ursa, and Creeps landed upon him was met with broken bones. Arms snapped, teeth shattered, and broken bodies flew in every direction. The last one only had its arm broken and Accelerator reached out to tap its chest. The Grim was sent flying.

Right at Yang.

"Aww!" Yang yelled to him, after easily dodging the Beowolf. It crashed into two others behind her. "I appreciate your gift, but I have plenty of my own."

"What was that?" Neptune asked Weiss.

"His Semblance," Weiss answered, deliberately using a term Neptune would understand. "He can control Vectors, so physical attacks just get reflected back. He's really perfect at fighting Grimm."

"Perfect, huh?" Neptune grimaced and Sun grinned back at him.

"You can flirt with him after we take care of these Grimm," Sun said.

"Shut up!" Neptune snapped.

"I'm glad to see his power does not seem to have faltered," Ren commented to Nora.

"Throw an Ursa!" Nora yelled. "You promised to show me!" Accelerator didn't answer her, but the next Ursa that attacked Accelerator was sent flying after having its arms broken. By flying, it literally was sent rocketing out of the city and was going to land far beyond Vale's walls. "You're the best!"

"Ahem," Ren said with a cough.

"Oh my god!" Nora realized what she said. "Renny, I didn't mean it like that. You are definitely my favorite person. I was only referring to Accelerator's skill at Ursa Throwing. I definitely won't leave you for him, not that we are together. I mean, we are together, but not together-together-…"

"Nora," Ren interrupted. "I simply wanted you to pay attention to the Grimm approaching us."

"Oh." Nora blinked, grinned, and raised her hammer. "Right. We can't be outshined by newcomers." The two of them nodded at each other and jumped back into the fray.

"Jaune, Ruby!" Pyrrha called out, pushing aside a couple overturned cars with her semblance. They flew and crashed into several Grimm to clear the path between her and her friends caught in the explosion. She reached them and froze. The scene before her had Jaune propped up against the wall, rubbing his head, while Ruby was clutched against his chest. Jealousy roared to life, but she quickly extinguished it because of the situation. "Are you two okay?"

"What hit us?" Ruby asked groggily.

"A bus?" Jaune added.

"Pretty much," Pyrrha confirmed and helped them to their feet. Accelerator attracted the attention of most of the Grimm, so they had a few moments of rest. "Accelerator arrived and…" She looked up at the Bullhead approaching them. "…looks like he brought others."

"So we held on?" Jaune asked and then grinned. "We held on!"

"Battle's not over yet," Ruby said, but a huge smile was on her face. "We have to clear the Grimm and close up the tunnel."

"Any idea how to do that?" Jaune asked.

"Well," Pyrrha answered and glanced at Accelerator. "There are a few methods that come to mind." Accelerator's power could be useful here, but the application would be tricky. She and Accelerator could use their power to close up the hole with debris and the remains of vehicles, but that wouldn't clear out the Grimm in the tunnel. Trapping them would force the Grimm to start making new tunnels and that would open more holes into Vale. The King Taijitu and Death Stalker proved they could burst out of other places besides the breach. As if echoing her thoughts, another Death Stalker burst out of the ground and caused a nearby store to partially collapse. With Accelerator, if they could push the Grimm far enough back in the tunnel, they could seal it outside of Vale's border. "But it won't be eas-…" The Bullhead descended and hovered about twenty feet off the ground, which caused her words to be drowned out by the engines.

Five familiar faces jumped down into the fray Coco, Velvet, Fox, Yatsuhashi, and Peter Port.

"Trying to get a head start, huh?" Coco asked, looking at the carnage Accelerator had caused in such a short time. "Can't say I blame you. I'll overlook it because I'm your senior."

"You do that," Accelerator retorted. "Just don't come complaining to me when you lose." He eyed her handbag. "I can't wait to see you use that purse in battle." He didn't even want to come at first, but the second Ozpin and Glynda told him and Last Order, Accelerator had a sneaky suspicion that was done on purpose, Last Order begged him to make sure her new friends were okay. The look on her face wasn't something he could refuse easily. Now that he was here, he realized he could go all out and test the capabilities of his healed body. The fights at Beacon were too short to gather real data.

"You might have a chance," Coco replied and gestured to the Death Stalker that was shaking the rubble off from the store it had broken. When she realized what store it was she froze. A lone Beowolf charged, possibly thinking her pause was a sign of weakness. It couldn't have been more wrong. Without even looking at it, Coco swung her handbag into the side of the Grimm's head. A sickening crack was heard as the Beowolf's neck snapped. Coco lowered her shades for a moment, stared at the Death Stalker. "You just destroyed my favorite clothing store," she said as the Death Stalker approached. "Prepare to die." She shook her handbag once and it opened up from the sides. Barrels emerged from the front and then the rest of the bag opened up to form the base of a large gold and brown Gatling gun.

The gun barrels started to rotate and Coco grinned, though it was more menacing than amused.

She opened fire.

The Death Stalker never knew what hit it as her bullets pierced its armor like paper. It was shredded in only a second. Coco didn't stop there. Her gun began to move horizontally as she mowed down wave after wave of Grimm. When all the nearby ones were dead, she looked up, her gun following the Nevermore's route. The first Nevermore was cut in half by the stream of bullets and it only took a quick rotate to wipe out the other ones nearby. With the sky cleared, she stopped firing, lowered, glanced over at Accelerator, and then lowered her shades again. "So, how do you like my _purse_ now?"

"I suppose it will do," Accelerator answered noncommittally. A Gatling gun was hardly new to Accelerator. Academy City had them, many countries in the world he came from did. The fact it was collapsible to the size of a handbag was a new concept though. _It wouldn't change the weight though. It's either made out of lightweight material, or she's a lot stronger than she looks._ His eyes fell on the Grimm with its broken neck. _Pretty interesting, though it would be useless against someone like me._ Accelerator was more interested in the technological design of some of the weapons he saw, rather than their performance. One other thing bugged him. A small churning in his stomach when he saw Coco pull out her gun and start obliterating Grimm and he felt slightly warm. _This is the first time I used my powers this much. Maybe there is a side effect from their healing._

"I seem to have pulled ahead," Coco added and grinned at him, before turning back to the Grimm approaching them.

"For now, bitch," was the only curt reply Accelerator would give her.

"Perhaps now is not the time for petty squabbles?" Yatsuhashi suggested.

"Nonsense!" Peter laughed in his deep voice. "Why, their squabbles sound just what we need to keep the negativity to a minimum. Besides, it reminds me of my younger days. Why not let an old retired Hunter join you in your little game." Neither Accelerator nor Coco answered, but he took their silence as consent. "Excellent! Well, I have to catch up, but I see Barty over there and I think he is overdue for a little chat while we clear up this mess." Moving faster than a portly man should have been able to, he was already halfway to Bartholomew before either of them noticed.

 _What a windbag,_ Accelerator thought. _Butting in like that._ Not to be outdone by someone like Coco, he walked over to a large piece of rubble. It must have been part of the street that the main explosion ripped apart. Most of it was concrete and asphalt and about the size of a bus. Accelerator reached a single hand toward it and his hand sunk into the material like butter. A quick calculation in his mind was all it took for him to raise his arm and bring the entire block with him. Ignoring the stares of shock and awe from some of the surrounding people, he glanced around to find the greatest concentration of Grimm. Sure, he could have just stood there and let them Grimm come to him, but that would hardly allow him to win in the number of kills versus Coco's gun. He had to go on the offensive, something he didn't mind. For the first time in ages, he could cut loose. His eyes stopped on a large group of Beowolves and Ursai in front of a Death Stalker. With a quick flick, he sent the entire concrete slab rocketing toward them. He didn't have to send it in an arc. It just flew in a straight line a couple feet off the ground and bulldozed all the Grimm in its path. It only stopped after the Dearth Stalker was crushed firmly underneath it, a leg occasionally twitching.

"Holy crap!" Yang told him and he turned to see the blonde girl standing about ten feet away. "You really are strong."

"About time you realized that," Accelerator said mockingly.

"Yeah, yeah," Yang mocked him back. "I heard you and Coco have a little bet. Both of you are way behind me in kills. You'll never catch up."

"Think so?" Accelerator asked with a raised eyebrow. "I'll make you eat those words."

"You're on, Ice King," Yang laughed. Accelerator gritted his teeth at her casual attitude but ignored her. He normally didn't let names bother him, but he had been feeling a little hot headed recently. The ground exploded around him and he moved over thirty feet in an instant to grab an Ursa's mask. Redirecting the blood flow with a single touch was child's play to him. Black blood exploded out of the Ursa as it collapsed and started to dissolve into black smoke. Not to be outdone, Yang kicked off the ground and leaped into a pack of Beowolves and proceeded to punch them mercilessly. Bones broke under her blow and she started to create a path through them.

"We should get started too," Yatsuhashi said to Velvet and Fox. He bent his knees and jumped into the air, while simultaneously drawing his giant sword off his back. He swung his blade downwards into a group of Grimm. The force of his attack created a small crater and the shockwave sent the smaller Grimm flying. A large Ursa managed to remain standing near him and it only took one swing of Yatsuhashi's sword to slice it in half.

"Shall we?" Velvet asked Fox, who nodded. The two of them moved as one towards another group of Grimm. Velvet leaped forward and kicked a Beowolf in the chest. An Ursa clawed at her, but she was too fast for it. Velvet leaped into the air and delivered a series of kicks toward the Ursa's head, crushing it. Fox dashed forward, dodging claws and teeth to start slicing with his duel daggers. Even if he couldn't see, his Semblance let him see the spirits of things around him. Grimm were large black masses and could be easily distinguished from people. With practice, he could also extend this sense to inanimate objects to get an idea of the terrain around him. There was still an uneasy feeling in the air, like something big was nearby, but chose not to reveal itself.

"Velvet!" Weiss called out. "Is help coming?"

"We only need to hold on for five minutes," Velvet answered. "We were available for instant departure, but security forces are normally stationed around the city. They never expected a Grimm force to get inside without breaking through the wall."

"That's good news," Blake said with a nod.

"If the end's in sight," Sun said to Neptune. "We have to make up for being late. Alright Junior Detectives, let's go all out!"

"Junior Detectives?" Blake and Weiss couldn't resist asking.

"We have been deputized by Vale security," Neptune answered. "And have badges, so it's official." As he and Sun were in better shape than Weiss and Blake, the two of them took point, giving the girls a chance to catch their breath. Weiss was glad for the break, her stamina being at its limit for far too long, but another emotion welled up inside of her as her eyes drifted to someone else. Accelerator was plowing through Grimm with impunity. His style was rough, but any Grimm foolish enough to attack him suffered from his reflection. Ones that tried to move away were crushed by debris he could send flying with a mere tap from his hand or feet. Her eyes flickered once over to Coco, who was continuing to gun down large swaths of Grimm with her gun. She really was suited to large scale battles and that might have been why she designed a gun like that.

 _When did those two become so close?_ Weiss thought to herself. _He barely speaks to anyone unless forced to and those two are talking like old friends. What happened?_ Jealousy welled up inside of her. _I know Coco met Last Order, so maybe she introduced them._ Weiss frowned and started trying to plan how to show off her skill to Accelerator if given the chance. Next to her, Blake wasn't in a much better mood, though for a different reason.

 _I can't believe we let this happen,_ Blake thought dejectedly. _We couldn't rescue Touma, defeat Torchwick or his goons, and now we let Vale get breached._ She was kicking herself for her weakness in her fight with Neo and vowed to get stronger to return the favor she owned that one boy who saved her twice now. Then there was the fact the White Fang had caused this, her fellow Faunus. Once this got out, the relationship between humans and Faunus were sure to deteriorate even more. Her heart hurt at the thought. The negative emotions between her and Weiss might have caused a few more Grimm to turn towards them, giving Sun and Neptune more of a workout.

There was good news in all the excitement though.

With the arrival of fresh reinforcements and knowing help was coming, everyone continued to fight their hardest. Nora, not wanting to be outdone by Accelerator, started hitting Grimm with every last bit of force she could muster. Ren was doing his best to cover her, slicing at Grimm trying to strike Nora from the sides, his agility and knowledge of Nora's fighting style allowed him to stay near without being in range of her hammer. Weiss conjured a jet of fire and burned a group of Beowolves trying to reach a wall between buildings. Blake joined Sun and the two of the continued to alternate strikes at any enemy foolish enough to approach. Pyrrha jumped back into the fray, striking down Grimm left and right with her spear, never taking more than two blows to fell an enemy. Jaune glanced around and noticed an open area that led to a small side street near a partially destroyed building.

"I'm going to cover over there," he told Ruby.

"Okay, Jaune." Ruby glanced around. "I'll try to thin the Grimm Coco and Accelerator aren't focusing on."

"Good luck," Jaune wished her. Ruby watched Jaune leave and she flinched.

 _I couldn't say it,_ Ruby thought to herself. From the explosion and exhaustion, she doubted she would be able to use her Semblance more than once or twice more before the fatigue overtook her. Crescent Rose flipped back into its sniper form and she started taking down Grimm one at a time. For the first time, the Grimm were falling back. Coco was really helping thin the herds. No one in Team RWBY or JNPR had a weapon capable to mowing down wave after wave of Grimm. The rest of her team weren't slouches either, each one taking down their own share. Still, the fact more holes were opening up, as Death Stalkers and King Taijitu emerged, which allowed more Grimm to flow out from. She glanced up at the sky and saw specs in the distance. Her heart leaped. _There are our reinforcements!_ Joy filled her and then she returned to targeting Grimm. _The situation won't be hopeless when they arrive._

* * *

 _My head…_

Touma rubbed his head as he looked up at the half broken box he was still in. The plan had worked, not perfectly, but he survived. The reinforced dust crate absorbed most of the impact, though the lid was destroyed in the process and a large chunk was missing on one side. Touma's vision blurred for a moment. Banging his head several times doesn't leave people unharmed. He groaned again and pushed at the broken lid. It wasn't attached to the rest of the crate, but a piece of rubble had kept it leaning against the crate. He managed to move it enough and pulled himself out by placing his hand against the edge. The bright light made his head swim again and he was forced to close his eyes. The crate he had been in had been perfectly dark and he had no idea how long he had been out. The sound of gunshots, yelling, and explosions cause him to panic for a moment, before he forced them open and shaded them with his hand.

The sight of a war was going on all around him.

Grimm were everywhere within the city. Luckily, the civilians seemed to be gone, but the monsters were trying to spread out. Streets were torn up, large Grimm were exploding out of the ground, stores had collapsed, and there were overturned vehicles everywhere. Continuous sounds of rapid fire weaponry echoed all around him, punctured by the occasional explosion. He turned and saw one Grimm peering around the corner of the building his case had been blown into. Why it had gotten so close, Touma didn't know, but at the sight of him, the Grimm froze. It looked at him and then immediately turned to go somewhere else. Touma sighed in relief that his hand was still keeping them away.

"Mister?"

Touma nearly had a heart attack.

"Who?!" He spun around and saw a little boy, around seven or eight, peeking out of a closet. A girl was behind him, perhaps a year or two younger.

"Did you scare the Grimm away?" the boy asked.

"Umm, yes," Touma answered. It was technically true, but he still didn't know why they were so afraid of his hand. He looked around at the destroyed building for a way to get the kids to safety. The hallway leading to the back door was relatively unblocked by rubble, unlike the room he was in. "This way, if the coast is clear, get away from the fight. You know where a police station is or something?" The boy nodded. "Great! Both of you run, and I'll keep the Grimm back." The two nodded and Touma pushed a wooden beam out of the way to open the door. Happy it was unlocked; he peaked around the other side of the building. The street was devoid of Grimm, but was also devoid of people. He heard sounds of people yelling and sirens a couple streets over. "Head that way and don't stop," he ordered the kids. They nodded and started running.

"Thank you, mister!" They called back, which caused Touma to feel horrible.

 _This is my fault,_ Touma cursed mentally. _I helped Roman and the White Fang set all this up. Even if I didn't actively help, I was still part of it._ The train had crashed into a blockade and caused a chain reaction of all the dust to go off. The streets looked familiar to him and Touma figured they were back in the main part of Vale, though he didn't know exactly where. Once the kids were out of sight and Touma was sure no Grimm was following them, he went back toward the battle. He was going to help out and make up for his mistake. He knew, the second he joined the fight, Grimm would scatter to avoid his hand. The first thing he had to find out was what was happening and where best to go. He might be able to protect retreating civilians or something. He stood behind a partially destroyed building wall and glanced out.

The Grimm were falling left and right. Faces, both familiar and unfamiliar were fighting tooth and nail against the tides of enemies. Somewhere too far away to see, but he had an oddly familiar feeling about some of the explosions in the background. One girl in brown clothes seemed to be holding a Gatling gun and was responsible for most of the smaller Grimm being ripped to shreds. A familiar red cloak caught his eye and Touma sighed in relief again. _Good, Ruby made it. That would mean all those people fighting are Hunters and Huntresses._ He recognized the girl in a white dress and the boy in green from the train, before his eyes saw the raven haired girl. _That girl… Blake. She made it too. I think Ruby mentioned she was back at Mt. Glenn._

"Ahh, take this!" Touma turned his head to see a tall blonde haired boy with a sword and shield striking down a Beowolf one building over. He had a chase plate and some arm guards, but otherwise looked to be in jeans and a long sleeve shirt.

 _I suppose with Aura,_ Touma thought. _You don't need a lot of armor._ His eyes flickered back the main source of the Grimm. _That hole! It must have been created when the train crashed. Without the White Fang guarding the base, the Grimm flowed in and followed us. As long as the tunnel is open, they will keep swarming in._ A plan hatched in Touma's mind, but was interrupted by the blonde haired boy yelling in panic.

"Shit, shit, shiiiiiit!" Touma turned back to the guy and his eyes widened. A large Grimm, resembling a scorpion, was ascending upon the Hunter. The blonde haired boy was backing in fear, but was holding his sword and shield in the air. Touma blinked and his body began moving before his mind even processed the situation. Fear was abundant, but that never stopped him before.

* * *

"What the-…?"

From Jaune's point of view, he had been royally screwed. The Death Stalker was rushing toward him and none of his companions were nearby to help out. He really was not prepared to solo one, especially when he was so tired. The Death Stalker in initiation had sent him flying with only its tail and had nearly killed his team. True, this one was only like half the size, but the armor was going to pose a problem for his sword. He wasn't accurate enough to aim for the unarmed joints while dodging the pincers and tail. Just then, when all hope seemed lost, movement to his right caught his eye. A boy around his age with black spiky hair, wearing simple pants and long sleeve shirt, rushed out of a destroyed building right at the Grimm. "Don't!" Jaune yelled. "You'll get killed!" The boy ignored his warning

That moment, Jaune witnessed something change in the Grimm. Something Jaune knew intimately.

Fear.

Some scholars say that Grimm don't feel emotions like fear. They only feed on it and are filled with hate and rage at humanity. When the Death Stalker stopped charging at Jaune, turned slightly to see the boy, and then tried to skitter the opposite direction so fast its legs got tangled and it fell, Jaune had to say all those scholars were full of it. The Death Stalker was so afraid of that boy, it tripped over its own feet and hit the ground. This wasn't even a small Grimm, it was a freaking Death Stalker, one of the stronger ones seen around Vale. Things only got stranger when the boy touched the Grimm's leg with his hand.

Jaune heard the sound of breaking glass and the Death Stalker vanished.

Not die, not collapse in a pile of parts, bleed, explode, burn, but actually disappeared without a trace. There was nothing to show it had ever existed, expect for a few scratches on the concrete. The boy stopped and looked at Jaune. The boy was a lot shorter than he was, but Jaune was tall, so that was pretty normal. There was a small trace of blood on the side of the boy's face, so Jaune wondered if he even had Aura. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Jaune replied and stepped up to the kid, but making sure to keep his eyes opened for more approaching Grimm to his section. To his surprise, they weren't running toward him, but toward the others, like they were deliberately avoiding them. Jaune blinked and took in the kid's appearance again. Spiky black hair, a boy around their age, and had the power to erase Grimm. "…You're Touma Kamijou!"

"Huh?" Touma asked confused.

"Blake and Ruby told us about you," Jaune said quickly. "How your hand can erase and frighten Grimm. Oh, my names Jaune Arc by the way."

"Nice to meet you," Touma said quickly. "But about all the Grimm."

"We are keeping them contained," Jaune answered. "And reinforcements are almost here, but the Grimm keep spreading out. That Death Stalker you erased, burst out of the ground there." He pointed to a smaller hole over the tunnel.

"I have an idea to stop them entering the city," Touma said. "You seem like a trustworthy guy, don't let any of those Grimm get by you. Some kids were stuck in the building and are in the process of escaping." He gritted his teeth. "It's kind of stupid, but only I can do it."

"Hang on!" Jaune tried to stop him, but Touma was already running toward the center of the Grimm. Jaune watched as the Grimm seemed to part like water as Touma charged toward the main breach. _Holy crap, Blake wasn't kidding about his power!_ With everyone fighting tooth and nail to keep the Grimm back, Touma wasn't noticed by most, only the two he passed.

Velvet and Fox glanced at him as he rushed passed.

"Who…?!" Velvet tried to ask, but Touma ignored her. Fox, on the other hand, had a completely unexpected reaction. He blinked and then his face contorted with fear. It looked like his body moved by pure reflex and he jumped away from Touma, as far as he could, over piles of debris. Velvet looked confused at his action, but didn't have time to question it as an Ursa approached her from her other side. Jaune was the only one focusing on Touma and saw what he was doing. Without the Grimm blocking his path, Touma was able to reach the main breach. Instead of stopping, he dove into it.

"Are you insane?!" Jaune yelled, but his voice was drowned out by the roared of dozens of airships descending. Mounted Gatling guns began to fire, shredding swaths of Grimm down in seconds. The back of each ship opened up to reveal rows of white and black humanoid robots, Atlesian Knights. Developed in Atlas, the robots had been sent to all kingdoms to help defend them against the Grimm threat. Vale had finally gotten them to the breach. The robots fell down all around the Hunters and Huntresses, landing like humans by bending their knees on impact. They stood up straight, leveled their rifles, and started blasting the Grimm. At last, the tide had completely turned. With numbers on their side, the students were pushing the Grimm back. The Grimm numbers were falling and all sides were pushing toward the main breach. Once they were close enough, Jaune grabbed Ruby's arm. "Ruby!" he gasped, barely aware of the others staring at him. "Touma… Kamijou… was here!"

"He was?!" Ruby asked in shock and she wasn't the only one. Blake appeared out of nowhere next to them.

"He took out a Death Stalker and then jumped into the breach!" Jaune explained quickly.

"Why would he do that?" Yang asked confused.

"Because his hand repels Grimm," Weiss answered. "He's acting as a stopper. I was wondering why more Grimm weren't appearing."

"I thought I saw someone approach the hole," Pyrrha added. "But I believed I imagined things." The robots were finishing the last few Grimm off, so the students had a little bit of time to talk.

"The damn hero's here?" Accelerator asked and turned to them, before slapping his face. "I should have known. People in trouble? He would be there." Without listening to anyone else, he started approaching the breach.

"Where are you going?!" Coco demanded. She missed the first part of the conversation. "Jumping down there is suicidal. You have no idea how many Grimm are still there!"

"Who cares?" Accelerator asked with a smirk and jumped down.

"Idiot!" Coco collapsed her gun into its handbag form before jumping down after him. Ruby and Blake immediately followed her and everyone else shortly after that. Velvet, Fox and Yatsuhashi were last, because they weren't sure why everyone else was going down the hole, but figured it was important. None of them were sure of what they would find down there, but whatever they imagined was blown out of the water by what was actually down there. The boy, those who know him as Touma Kamijou, was slowly walking down the tunnel with his hand held out in front of him like a torch. His body was shaking slightly, but he kept moving.

In front of him was a massive black wall of Grimm.

All of who were struggling to climb over each other to escape being close to Touma.

"I knew searching for you would be a waste of time," Accelerator sneered. "You're harder to kill than a cockroach." Touma stopped and turned around.

"A-Accelerator?! When did you get here?"

"A while ago," he laughed. "I got called to help get rid of these pests."

"Friend of yours?" Coco asked Accelerator.

"No."

"You're alive!" Ruby cried out happily. Blake didn't yell, but she was smiling.

"So this is Touma?" Yang asked and eyed the boy. "I was expecting…more?"

"He certainly has the powers Blake described," Pyrrha said.

"This shouldn't be possible," Weiss stated in shock. Seeing and hearing were two different things. "Grimm don't just flee like that."

"He erased a Death Stalker," Jaune muttered. "Those Grimm must have feared him after a stunt like that."

"Holy cow!" Nora yelled out excitedly. "You really can repel Grimm! Oh! Can you erase one for me?! I really wanted to see it!" Ren grabbed her arm.

"Maybe later," he told her. "For now, we should focus on clearing the tunnel."

"Who is he?" Velvet asked Yatsuhashi.

"No idea," Yatsuhashi replied. "But I sense a great spirit within him. Coming down here by himself to stop the flood of Grim is certainly admirable."

"Are you all mad?!" Fox yelled out of nowhere, causing everyone to stare at him. "Don't go near him!"

"What are you talking about, Fox?" Coco asked, lowering her shades.

"Can't you tell?!" Fox asked in astonishment. "That guy is a monster!"

* * *

 **I'll end the chapter on that note.**

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **Current Ship Names:**

 **Touma and Yang: Fistbump / Punchline/ Imagine Dragon/ Love at First Punch/ Hair You Go Again**

 **Touma and Weiss: Cool to the Touch / Princess and the Pauper / Shattered Mirror**

 **Touma and Ruby: Blossoming / Thorny Rose / Speedy Rescue / Innocently Indecent/ Nectar of the Gods.**

 **Touma and Blake: Nine Lives / Bad Luck / Kami-Nyaan**

 **Touma and Velvet: Bunny Couple / Rabbit's Foot**

 **Touma and Penny: Android's Dream / Faulty Electronics**

 **Touma and Ren: Lotus Fist**

 **Touma and Jaune: Better Luck Next Time**

 **Touma and Nora: Glutton for Punishment / Divine Sparks**

 **Touma and Pyrrha: Babe Magnet**

 **Touma and Coco: Black Coffee/ Stylish Illusion**

 **Touma and Glynda: Teacher's Pet / Promise Lands**

 **Touma and Adam: Chronic Crusaders**

 **Touma and Emerald: Shattered Illusions / Illusion Breaker / Portmanteau Poverty**

 **Touma and Twins: Triple Threat / Cerberus**

 **Touma and Cinder: Through the Fire and Flame / Fire Demons / Sinner and Savior/ A Match Made In Hellfire**

 **Touma and Neo: Uncertain Flavor / Breaking Reality/ Stockholm Slasher Romance**

 **Touma and Salem: Burning Witch / Light and Shadow / Shattering Darkness/ Grimm Chances of Survival**

 **Touma and Summer: Summer Break.**

 **Touma and Raven: Alpha and Omega/ Feather for Brains**

 **Touma and Qrow: Misfortune Squared / Bad luck Charms**

 **Accelerator and Weiss: Cold and Calculating / Ice Vector / A Frosty Reception**

 **Accelerator and Yang: Road Rage / Short Fuse / Way of the Dragon**

 **Accelerator and Ruby: One-Way Rose / No Brakes / Rose Manipulation**

 **Accelerator and Blake: Twilight Arrow / Chain and Sickly / Chasing Shadows**

 **Accelerator and Nora: Shattered Bones / Broken Dreams / Nerve Impulse**

 **Accelerator and Velvet: White Flash / Hopping Mad**

 **Accelerator and Glynda: Fix and Destroy**

 **Accelerator and Penny: String Theory/ Broken Toys**

 **Accelerator and Sun: Sunny and Sullen**

 **Accelerator and Adam: Charging Bull/ Rabid Animals**

 **Accelerator and Mercury: Killer Moves**

 **Accelerator and Emerald: Red Eyed Killers/ After Image**

 **Accelerator and Coco: Fashionable Disaster/ Fashion is a Science**

 **Accelerator and Pyrrha: Opposites Attract**

 **Accelerator and Raven: Yang's Nightmare/ Fallen Feathers**


	17. Inner Demons

**Time for some of the action to die down for a bit after a big scale fight like last chapter. At last, it only took 16 chapters to reunite Touma and Accelerator. Obviously those two are BFFs. As a reminder, for the time line, the breach happened even earlier than in canon, so some people were missing, but that simply means they will have to find out what happened later. I noticed last chapter breached the 50 review mark and that surprised me. This story was originally just a side project when I came up with the idea. I had no idea it would become my most popular story. Secretly, I think it's because there are more RWBY fans than Index. Anyways, because now I can diverge from the canon storyline quite a bit, interesting things will happen involving interactions between the RWBY cast and Touma and Accelerator. Also, everyone seemed to enjoy the cliffhanger. I should make more.**

 **Mrcrazyman94: It's pretty obvious what it is. As there is no real evidence what would happen in a lot of situations involving Semblances, I have a lot of leeway.**

 **Artyom-Dreizehn: Kami-Yan Disease is running rampant. Who shall fall to it next?**

 **Mr. Self-Deprecation: I write when I can. Nice way to have fun and get away from reality. I now appreciate all the work others due to keep out updates constantly.**

 **Pasapack: Who's going to believe him? He saved two of the girls already and no one senses anything weird.**

 **shiroryuu012: It does seem that way.**

 **LL: That's pretty much the gist of it. What would you do if a giant dragon started to emerge next to you? Actually, to keep negative emotions to a minimum, housing and medical bills are probably kept pretty low. More poor equals more depression. There could totally be a version of that with Coco and Yang looking to embarrass someone.**

 **Myeyes: Some of the paragraphs are a little long, but it's usually descriptive ones. None looked that bad on word where I write it. Were you using mobile?**

 **alaude hibari: That has been accepted.**

 **Timber: I try to keep the chapters about the same. Making them too long gets kind of tedious. You will find out the answer, though it's kind of obvious. Salem will know about it. Remember, she got a magician to join her.**

 **Guest: I don't think Accelerator knows the specific name of the disease, but I'll have to check. Hmm, I thought of a funny scene involving Accelerator doing just that and walking away after complaining about locking doors. Need to show off Jaune's Ladykiller moves. Maybe he and Touma could visit the twins.**

 **Zenkichi: Pretty sure it was stated what exactly it is. No one else seemed to be able to give others their Aura, or at least what has been shown.**

 **Guest: Didn't think he did, but he knows Touma has a bunch of girls fawning over him after he returned in NT.**

 **The 10th Wand: Wish I could claim credit for most of them, but the readers are really creative. Ruby Rose has a flower in its name, where nectar comes from. Touma also purifies with his right hand. Gods were known to drink only the purest nectar. Going to be even funnier with Coco when they talk about who won.**

 **Bluejack222: More specifically, something within him.**

 **RedBurningDragon: Well… without spoiling stuff in NT, Accelerator has kind of changed since WWIII. He also understands what it means to face Touma.**

 **dickythamrin077: The Fox thing had been planned for a long time. No hiding your inner demons, Touma.**

 **ParadoxVictor: The dust healing has caused his body to begin to experience real puberty. He's not going to be able to act stoic all the time anymore. Bigger is always better. Lancaster is a good ship. IT would eat Accelerator. Accelerator loses to just the IB. Hmm, maybe I should delay updates to make you suffer more. Nah, it's only like 2-3 weeks.**

 **The Rupture: I plan to use something like that. It's tough to balance what we know and what I want to describe. It's got to make sense to a degree, but still have the mystery of what it is exactly. Touma is the apex predator masquerading as a herbivore to get near its prey. It all makes sense. Your comments pretty much is the reason the first part of this chapter exists.**

 **Tecpatl: I write when I can.**

 **Guest: Well, if someone can see past the harmless exterior…**

 **Gamator: Timeline is a little off, so the breach happened even earlier. It's going to lead to some interesting things with them when they figure out what all happened.**

 **Phoenix 7.49: Hey, I enjoy the tears of suffering. This chapter ends on a funny note. Accelerator's awakened state isn't a living entity inside his soul. He detected something though. The bet is going to be pretty hilarious when it's brought up again. Touma attracts Grimm too. They just don't get TOO close. That obliviousness is why Roman face palms a lot when Touma asks about Neo's behavior. It was fun for Coco. Shipping doesn't have to be realistic. Emerald is the one who seems like the perfect candidate for a Touma punch.**

 **Ahsoei: I shall bring Zwei back soon. Last Order needs a partner in crime. What he saw… (See chapter below)**

 **Sergio644: Touma is currently blocking a tunnel. He can hardly leave.**

 **Guest (WiliamZ0): Someone seems happy. At this point, the battle is already won. Yeah, kind of disappointed it wouldn't. Jaune had so much potential. It's too early for IT to appear fully. I only use it for very important events. I loved that meme. Why yes, Aqua is a normal magician. You are reading a lot of what I had planned with how Touma's Aura works with the IB and IT. Seriously, you pretty much nailed what I was going for. I figured someone would, but not that perfectly. The thing with WR was WR erased the IB, but IT was not affected. What does that mean? Does IB wish for a new world but IT wants this one? Dark Touma will not appear, unless he's corrupted by Grimm or something. Ignore small things for plot points. He had private lessons. Rationalize it how you want.**

 **Guest: 1) Hard to tell sometimes. It could be area of origin. It's like Color and Colour. Both are technically right, but one is used in America and the other in other English countries.**

 **Formboy1: Nah, it's all an act. Touma's going to kidnap Blake and Ruby for Roman. Oh god, no… just… no. Only a couple. Jaune is there to snag the hearts of a few. He can't keep up attacking forever. Dust healing is different and affects him slightly. Okay, I can accept that reasoning. It made the list.**

 **IlluminatiAnimeLover789: It's kind of interesting in a way. With Remnant being in a constant state of war against the Grimm, it makes sense for many women to be attracted to stronger guys. Accelerator isn't used to girls actually standing up and bantering with him. Stronger, confident girls will be more attracted to his personality. They can also safely assume he's not after them just for looks or money. Hectic doesn't have to mean bad. It just means your time is your limited resources.**

 **A certain guest: Most of the fan base thinks he is blind due to his white eyes. I just rolled with it. I know pure magic is a myth, but Aura always seems supernatural. Mixing of dust is perfectly science, since even people without unlocked Aura. The individuals who combine Aura with Dust make that kind of grey line. I plan to call them dust mages. Aura can hardly be called scientific and, when you combine that with chemicals such as dust to get weird affects, strong blurry area. The water magician will have to start over. Remnant will not follow the same flow of things like leylines. It will be completely different and he will have to learn that. Salem could help him to a degree, but his ultimate use is to give Salem and her army something more. Think of the amount of work it took to make Last Order and the sisters to scatter them around the world. The magician was just piggy backing off that. He also would have done countless things on his own to get to that point. That scene was just made to give a reason as to why Touma, Accelerator, and Last order arrived on Remnant.**

 **Well, someone will come eventually, but the time limes may not be synced. One day in AC may be a week on Remnant. Aleister also has to find out where they landed. That blast could have sent them to countless dimensions. Info on Fox's reaction is covered in this chapter. Touma will have that experience at some point. Ruby will have some weird emotions in this story. She is in the middle of puberty after all.**

 **Inacio: Eh, she can have both because she is that awesome. They could ask Touma about his past. No one says they can't. If he attends history class with everyone, he could learn things.**

 **Toumaboy384: Which part specifically?**

 **Croniklerx: Semblances are unique to each individual. ACIP is still going strong, but I feel this story is surpassing it. Maybe because I have gained a lot of experience. Index was left off at a very bad place. It practically screamed for a season 3. Dang, I missed a perfect opportunity to have Lessar instead of Last Order. Neo and Lessar would have been the ULTIMATE duo in teasing. I can guarantee this is not that last we see of poor Neo. She's way to fun to leave behind. I'll make it up by putting more Touma in the next few. He met up with the rest of the cast now, so he gets more time. Blind people are more attune to everything around them and you hear stories of swordsman use their sixth sense. Fox just takes that to a new level with his Semblance. No Touma x Roman names? Haha.**

 **Jonathan Ngoh: Sometimes the obvious escapes us all. With suspicion most likely. No one else has a reason to not trust Touma. Accelerator killing Grimm won't freak people out. They already have a rough idea of his power. Letting Grimm destroy themselves on his deflection is a perfectly viable strategy. Nah, the situation won't force him to do that. It's more of an alternative win condition. Dance will happen because I want so much teasing there. Blake would hate Noukan because she hates dogs.**

 **Salishious: Maybe Yang wants Accelerator?**

 **SpiderhunterXXX: Then I did my job.**

 **Purrple Cate: The reason the magician joined Salem was to help balance the power. Can't just give the good guys two OP people to help out and expect things to continue like normal. Many ships will sale, but many will sink shortly afterwards.**

 **Tsun: Hey, Touma still fears everything. He just does things despite that fear.**

 **YeTianshi: I would ship Accelerator and Raven ONLY to see Yang's reaction. Maybe, if the situation requires it.**

 **Handsomistic1: Wait! There's the perfect opportunity soon.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

"I'm glad everything worked out, Ozpin. If there had been any indication of something like that occurring, I would have sent out a detachment. But there are still many questions that need answering."

"The breach has been sealed up," Ozpin replied and leaned back in his chair. He sipped at his coffee and looked at the man on the screen in front of him. The man on the screen was standing and had his arms behind his back. Like Ozpin, he was well dressed, though mainly in white instead of black. He wore a white overcoat, with a gray undercoat, black sweater, a red necktie, and a white glove on his right hand. His suit pants shared the same color as his overcoat and are tucked into silver boots. His hair was black, with some silver and gray areas, while his eyebrows are solid black. He had a strip of silver metal above his right eyebrow. The man's name was James Ironwood and he was the headmaster of Atlas Academy, along with a General in the Atlesian military. "And the Vale council has requested additional military presence from your forces, especially with the Vytal Festival Tournament beginning this year. What more do you wish to discuss?"

"I will ensure my forces still allow Vale to operate normally and safely," James said and then his expression grew stony. "There was some footage I obtained of the battle and a couple things stood out."

"What might they be?" Ozpin asked and sipped his coffee again.

"The Vale Council was kind enough to provide what camera evidence was available of the fighting." James's picture shrunk and moved to a corner to allow another image to pop up. Ozpin saw a Death Stalker pushing Jaune Arc and Ruby Rose back, before a white and black blur fell from the sky and crushed the Grimm. Debris flew everywhere from the impact and then the dust blew unnaturally away to reveal Accelerator standing on top of the Death Stalker, completely unharmed. He continued to stand there as the Grimm attacked, only for them to be broken apart when they made contact with him. Ozpin knew about Accelerator's power and, after seeing it utilized against the Grimm so effectively, he was once again pleased of his decision to send him.

"The children on the scene," James continued. "Did an admirable job holding back the Grimm flowing into the city, but this boy in particular stood out. He arrived with the backup you sent while Vale security was mobilizing."

"Ah," Ozpin said, choosing not to reveal too much information at this time. "Mr. Accelerator did perform quite well. This was his first mission in the field and he passed with flying colors."

"Indeed." James gave a short nod. "So he is one of your students?"

"He is currently a student at Beacon, yes," Ozpin confirmed. "Why do you ask?"

"The way he fights," James pointed out and the image zoomed in on Accelerator. "It's rather undisciplined and unlike any Hunter or Huntress in Training I have seen. Half the time, he's not even attacking. It doesn't even look like he is defending. He simply allows the Grimm to attack him and they take the damage instead of him."

"Mr. Accelerator unlocked his Semblance at a very early age," Ozpin stated. "A very powerful one as you just witnessed. Thus, he never bothered to learn how to properly fight with a weapon except for an occasional small handgun. I hope to rectify that during his stay here."

"That does explain it," James responded with a nod. "It's both a blessing and a curse. Over-reliance on one power has caused the downfall of many potential Hunters and Huntresses. No power is invincible."

"I agree." _Though, Mr. Accelerator might disagree. He's already adapted to dust and normal Grimm are no threat to him. She won't take this lying down once she discovers him._ Ozpin sipped his coffee. "James, we both know that while Mr. Accelerator's Semblance is indeed powerful, it did not warrant the questions you are asking. You want to ask about something else and are just trying to lead to your main point. It's okay to be direct here." _Of course, if James finds out Mr. Accelerator doesn't have an Aura, things could get a lot more troublesome. Perhaps that could be rectified._

"Ever observant as always, Ozpin," James sighed. "It's one of the reasons I respect you so much. Yes, while impressive, that boy is not the subject of my… curiosity." The image of Accelerator's fight changed to a picture of Jaune standing against another Death Stalker. Ozpin's eyes narrowed and he set his coffee cup down. He had a vague idea of what to expect, due to some information provided by Team RWBY, but actually seeing the footage was a sight to behold.

A Grimm acting terrified.

Ozpin had lived long enough to see Grimm retreat, usually the pack animals like Beowolves who had lost their leader or when Salem orders them back for one reason or another. He had seen the beasts convulse in pain when someone breaks their bones, but what he saw now removed any doubt in his mind. The Death Stalker, a rather fearsome Grimm, tried to scuttle away in fright at something. It moved in a way it would normally have never tried and tripped as a result. A second later, a boy appeared on screen, running toward the Grimm with his hand outstretched. The boy touched the Death Stalker's leg and it vanished.

A large Grimm vanished without a trace.

Sure, a large dust explosion could do something similar, but to actually remove a Grimm from existence without any noticeable force was a feat Ozpin had not seen. He never doubted what his students saw. He only wanted to see it himself. _This power of his, could easily change everything._ The silence lengthened. Neither James nor Ozpin wanted to go first. James wanted to see Ozpin's reaction, while Ozpin didn't want to give up any information that could put the boy in harm's way. Although James was a good person and meant well, he could easily get overzealous. With no answer coming, James continued.

"How would you explain this?"

"It seems he can destroy Grimm with a single touch," Ozpin commented.

"You know that isn't what I'm referring to!" James responded, a lot louder than he meant to. A quick cough and his calm demeanor returned. "Destroying the Grimm, while impressive, is not the point. I am referring to its action to the boy approaching it. The way it retreated, to even trip over itself… that is not usual for a Grimm. It appeared… afraid."

"I have to agree with you on that," Ozpin said seriously.

"If that wasn't weird enough," James continued and fast forwarded the video for a moment. "There is this." Ozpin observed the boy run into the horde of Grimm. The Grimm then parted in his path, desperate not to remain near him, which allowed the boy to dive into the breach. This was not usual Grimm behavior. For them to actively ignore a person right in front of them was unheard of. Ozpin crossed his fingers under his chin and gaze at the scene. "Again, it looks like the Grimm actively avoid him. Still, I could attribute this reaction to a number of things, until I saw this." The video switched again to show a tunnel. Ozpin first noticed his students standing near each other in the abandoned subway tunnels.

Then his eyes focused on the wall of Grimm in the background.

Standing in front of them was the same boy James had been observing. His hand was outstretched in front of him while he slowly walked forward. Ozpin's eyes widened ever so slightly. The students had given him a first person description of this event, but this was much more than what they recalled. He could see smaller Grimm trying to climb their way over larger Grimm to escape. Larger Grimm were shoving smaller ones out of the way. There was no doubt this time. Grimm were afraid of the boy. Ozpin sipped his coffee and thought quickly.

"A rather impressive ability," Ozpin commented. "And a smart plan. He blocked the tunnel to prevent Grimm from continually flooding into Vale and started to push them out. Thanks to his planning, Vale security was able to seize control and block off the breach-..."

"I read the reports," James interrupted. "No one doubts his heroic actions. What I want to know is who that boy is and what is that ability? What kind of Semblance can actually ward off Grimm?"

"He's a friend to some of my students," Ozpin explained. "And has been in the area the last few days."

"Ozpin," James said slowly and deliberately. "Who is that boy?" Ozpin frowned slightly.

"I'm not sure what you want me to say, James."

"The second I saw what he was capable of," James elaborated. "I had my men searching for him." He picked up an empty folder and threw it off the table on his end. "Nothing! In all four kingdoms, there is no information on anyone with that power or a registered citizen who fits his description." James sighed, turned around, and paced for a moment. "Do you know where he comes from?"

"From what I understand," Ozpin said. "He does originate from outside of the kingdoms. Circumstances brought him here."

"And then he got caught up in the breach," James finished and Ozpin chose not to correct him at this time. "What happened to the kid? Last I heard, he left with your students before getting interviewed." James stared directly at Ozpin. "I wish to speak with him when I arrive at Vale and extend the opportunity to join Atlas Academy."

"You may be one step behind then," Ozpin said with a small smile. "I already offered him a place at my school and I'm waiting for a reply."

"Sneaky," James commented. "But not unexpected. Anyone in our positions would not pass up an opportunity to possess a power like that. Still, I would still like to speak with him about what he did. An interest, if nothing more."

"Of course," Ozpin agreed with a nod. _James, we both know you want his power for military purposes. I do agree there is potential in that boy, but we don't understand it fully. It takes time to nurture and if he is willing to accept the responsibility._ "Is there anything else?"

"No, that is all," James replied. "I'll be in Vale in a few days to talk with you in person. This breach that happened, there's more behind it than just a White Fang terrorist attack."

"You and I are in the same mind," Ozpin agreed solemnly. "Goodbye, James." The call disconnected and the screen went dark. Ozpin sighed and rubbed his head for a moment, before turning and facing two other people in the room. Glynda and the boy involved in the previous discussion, Touma Kamijou. "I'm sorry you had to sit through that," Ozpin apologized to Touma. "James can be… impatient over matters of security."

"I understand," Touma said quickly and held up his hands. "It's easy to imagine how much work it would take to protect cities from the Grimm."

"You're too kind," Ozpin said with a smile and turned to Glynda. "Can you check on the others? I doubt they will be content waiting without some kind of update."

"Of course," Glynda said with a nod. "There better not be a repeat of the last cafeteria incident or they aren't getting off with just cleaning." Ozpin chuckled slightly.

"Most likely they want to hear updates on the situation in Vale and of our guest." Ozpin gestured to Touma. "They can leave at any time, but if one or two would stay behind, Mr. Kamijou will need a guide and I believe…" He turned to Touma. "Apologies if I'm wrong, but Mr. Accelerator does not seem like the type of person to willingly show you around." Touma actually laughed at this.

"No, you're right."

"Very well." Glynda stood up to leave. Right when she reached the door, she turned around. "What about sleeping arrangements? I doubt Mr. Kamijou has living quarters arranged now that…well…" Her words trailed off.

"A room has opened up and we can allow him, along with Mr. Accelerator and Miss Order, to take residence there for now. I think they will be happy to have their own beds." Glynda nodded and left.

"Excuse me, Professor Ozpin?" Ozpin turned to Touma.

"Yes?"

"What you said earlier," Touma pointed out. "About joining your school. Was that true or was that just to keep me from getting involved in politics between the kingdoms?" Ozpin sipped his coffee.

"We have a lot to talk about."

* * *

"Are you ever going to tell us what you meant back in the tunnel, Fox?"

Team RWBY, JNPR, CFVY, and Accelerator were sitting in an empty classroom waiting to be informed on what was going to happen now. The rest of the student body at Beacon was doing whatever they could to find out news on exactly what happened, so Ozpin and Glynda made sure they were separated until all questioning was finished. What Coco was referring to with her question was what Fox has called Touma in the tunnel. Before Fox had a chance to explain his odd choice of words, the Atlesian Knights began to descend into the tunnels. Upon detection of the Grimm, they rushed forward and the echoes of gunfire made conversation impossible. After that, everyone was ushered out and relieved of duty by the arrival of Glynda, Ozpin, and several commanders of Vale's military. All three teams and Accelerator were questioned extensively before they were released. Touma and Ozpin had mysteriously disappeared, much to the complaints of several of them. Their questions had to wait until now.

"You couldn't tell something was off about that… thing…at all?" Fox asked in shock.

"Don't insult him like that," Ruby protested and Blake narrowed her eyes.

"He did help us out of a _Grimm_ situation," Yang pointed out, soliciting boos from many of the onlookers.

"Wasn't he just a normal kid?" Velvet asked.

"Besides the awesome power of repelling Grimm!" Nora added.

"Maybe it's because they understand… what he is," Fox said and his voice shook slightly. Coca raised an eyebrow. Fox was not an incredibly emotional person.

"So tell us," Weiss said and crossed her arm. "Actually, start with how you could even tell something like this?"

"Fox's Semblance," Yatsuhashi said. "Allows him to see the world around him without sight. People, animals, plants, Grimm, he can detect them. With training, he can even _see_ inanimate objects." He turned to Fox. "I take it there was something… off about his spirit?"

"That's putting it lightly," Fox said through gritted teeth. "Accelerator was different enough, but the world's a big place, that kid… how could he even exist on Remnant?" Accelerator looked up from his scroll for a second and then went back to downloading music. He couldn't care less about what everyone was talking about.

Team RWBY and JNPR, however, shared a look.

Coco did not miss this.

"Okay," she said and pointed a finger from one team to the other. "You know something. Spill it."

"Well," Jaune answered, cowering slightly under Coco's fierce gaze. "Accelerator and Touma, that's the guy's name by the way, are from really far away and only recently arrived in Vale. It's kind of why their powers are unique." Ozpin had advised them all about telling who Touma and Accelerator really were, so they had to make up a cover story.

"Jaune is right," Pyrrha added. She didn't like to lie, but she occasionally did to spare someone's feelings. This time, it wasn't a lie. Another world could be considered far away.

"Okay…" Coco knew they were still hiding something. "Do you guys know where that guy is from? It seems kind of coincidental that he just happened to be there when the breach occurred." Even Accelerator glanced up, curious to what the others would say. He wasn't going to volunteer any information and if they asked him, he would ignore them. The others all looked uncomfortable and Ruby was fidgeting in her seat.

"He was being used by Roman Torchwick and the White Fang," Weiss answered at last. The response was instantaneous.

"Weiss!" Blake snapped.

"Weiss!" Ruby cried out in shock.

"What the hell, Ice Queen!?" Yang added.

"It's a secret!" Nora yelled and Ren clamped his hands over her mouth.

"Secret?" Velvet asked and tilted her head in confusion.

"Kind of," Jaune admitted and rubbed the back of his head.

"I'm just going to tell her what I told Ms. Goodwitch," Weiss reassured her team.

"What exactly did you say?" Blake asked through gritted teeth.

"What was needed to be told," Weiss answered.

"Remember what Ozpin told us," Ruby whispered and Velvet's ears twitched. Weiss nodded and turned back to Coco.

"So what happened?" Coco asked.

"Touma Kamijou," Weiss continued and she could feel everyone's eyes on her. _Please, like I haven't learned to tell people only what they need to know. It's almost like they don't trust me._ "Has the ability to repel and destroy Grimm, though his power revolves around negation. He can also negate Semblances on touch." She avoided saying Aura. "You might have noticed when they wouldn't approach him willingly." Team CFVY gave various degrees of acknowledgement, with Fox barely twitching his head. "Once Torchwick found that out, he tricked Touma into working for him. As Arc said, he comes from an area outside of the four kingdoms and doesn't fully understand the political climate here. From what we found out, before the breach, he was under the impression Torchwick and the White Fang were only stealing dust to protect Faunus villages." Weiss sighed. "It was only after the train explosion released Grimm into the city, he understood what really happened and helped us defeat the Grimm."

"But why is that a secret?" Velvet asked.

"Until Ozpin can clear up the mess," Weiss continued. "Touma is still a suspect for breaching Vale and working with a terrorist organization." Blake flinched slightly. "I trust Ozpin is discussing with the Vale Police Department about leniency. Unwittingly or not, he was helping them."

"Make sense," Coco agreed. "Wrong place at the wrong time."

"Accelerator didn't know much about Vale either," Yang added with a grin and flipped her hair at him. "We had to give him a crash course." Accelerator responded with a very rude gesture.

"Someone like you couldn't teach anyone, anything," Accelerator snapped.

"You know you love us," Yang teased.

"I would love to throw you through a wall," Accelerator replied.

"I've done that before," Nora said beaming.

"It was the roof, Nora," Ren corrected.

"Ah, that's right."

"We are getting off topic," Pyrrha interrupted, while still trying to be polite. She then turned to Coco. "When Accelerator arrived, Ozpin asked us to keep where he was from a secret."

"Why, though?" Velvet asked.

"Because the four kingdoms exist only due to the fact the vast majority of residents live here." Everyone turned to Yatsuhashi in surprise at his sudden explanation. "Towns outside the walls exist because of overpopulation and the desire to expand. If there are indeed larger settlements much further away, some people might be interested in moving. Should we spread too far out, we risk being overwhelmed by Grimm. Not the perfect solution, but expansion is controlled to some degree."

"But there's still a lot of settlements that get created unofficially," Coco added. She turned to Fox. "But that still doesn't explain your reaction when you saw that guy."

"Because even if he appears to be a regular person," Fox told everyone. "He's a monster inside."

"There you go again," Coco said and face palmed. "You have to explain what that means."

"I'm kind of curious about it too," Weiss added.

"Blake and I met him personally," Ruby piped up. "And he was pretty cool."

"He saved me from a Death Stalker in Vale," Jaune added.

"You could have handled it yourself, Fearless Leader," Nora reassured him.

"Of course he could," Pyrrha added to bolter Jaune's confidence. One of his weaker traits was losing faith in himself.

"Tell us, Fox," Yang pushed. "What did you see?" She was curious and Accelerator wasn't providing information.

"At first nothing," Fox said. "Around people, I can see different colors, designs, waves, depending on who they are. Grimm are a giant mass of darkness, easily distinguished. Inanimate objects are more of a uniform grey. Around that guy, it was like a void. Nothing but emptiness. I felt it heading toward me when we were fighting and I turned." He suddenly shivered. "I wasn't sure what it was, until I focused on it. Something was in the void, something monstrous. Fangs, horns, and eyes that were filled with rage. I might have only considered it an enemy when the eye fully opened and stared at me." He went silent for a moment. "Time didn't seem to move as it noticed me. Suddenly, every instinct in my body told me to get out of the way. If Grimm are truly afraid of him, they must see something similar."

"It's been awhile since you said so much at once," Coco pointed out and Fox scowled. "So you think he's hiding a monster or something?" Coco asked and then laughed. "Maybe he has a Grimm inside of him."

"I can assure you," Fox said seriously. "Whatever that was, it was not a Grimm."

"Did anyone get that impression?" Yang asked to everyone in the room. "I only saw him in the tunnel."

"No," Blake stated.

"He seemed really normal to me," Ruby added and scratched her head. "But then he stopped Torchwick's companion Neo from hurting Blake."

"When he helped me," Jaune added. "He seemed to be more worried about me than himself." He frowned for a moment. "When he realized he had to block the tunnel, he suddenly grew determined, even though I could tell he was afraid. I don't think he's used to fighting Grimm… or at least in large battles like that one."

"I didn't see him enough to pass an accurate judgment," Weiss stated.

"Neither did we," Ren added and gestured to Nora. "And no, Nora. You may not take him into the forest to fight Grimm with you."

"Aww." Nora started pouting.

"Sorry," Pyrrha apologized.

"Hmm." Coco mused it over for a moment. "I trust Fox saw something… but still, I find it hard to believe."

"The world is full of strange things," Yatsuhashi suggested. "Perhaps Mr. Kamijou's power may manifest into such a form and your sight only allowed you to perceive it. However, from what I witnessed, that young man jumped into the fray to seal the breach. In my opinion, he deserves respect for his courage."

"I agree!" Ruby said enthusiastically.

"What do you think, Bun Bun?" Coco asked Velvet.

"I trust Fox," Velvet answered. "But we shouldn't judge someone based on appearance." That was an understatement, especially from a Faunus. Everyone in the room knew about the discrimination. "He helped us, so we should treat him like everyone else."

"Fine with me," Coco said and flicked the rim of her beret and yawned. "Wish they would tell us what is happening. It's kind of quiet." Accelerator glanced up again. With Last Order supposedly in Team JNPR's room, she shouldn't get in too much trouble, but experience told him silence was always suspicious.

"I don't mind it too much," Yang said with a yawn. "But I kind of want to hit the hay. I'm exhausted." Accelerator grinned to himself.

"I wouldn't mind a nap either," Jaune added and spread out on the table. "Everything hurts. Feels like I finished a round against Pyrrha."

"Sorry," Pyrrha said again while Nora laughed.

"You can't deny the results," Ren reassured Jaune, who nodded.

 _I wonder what Ozpin and Touma are doing,_ Blake thought and stared out the window. She really wished she had a book to pass the time.

"I'm hungry," Ruby sighed. "Need some cookies."

"You need to eat more than cookies," Weiss sighed after saying that to Ruby for easily the hundredth time.

"Sleep does sound pleasant," Pyrrha added. "But I would like to know Vale is sealed up completely before I can rest easy."

"Do you think you can talk to him, Fox?" Velvet asked.

"Maybe." Fox couldn't commit anything yet. "I'll try. Everyone has a point in the fact he did help us seal the breach." He sighed. "Maybe I was just caught up in the battle and he wasn't a monster."

"No."

The single word was so suddenly from Accelerator that both Fox and Velvet immediately turned to him, and they weren't the only ones.

"No?" Coco asked.

"That damn hero is indeed a monster," Accelerator clarified and scowled.

"What?!" The outburst was from everyone except Yatsuhashi and Fox, who merely looked interested.

"See?!" Fox gestured to Accelerator with a hand. "Even his friend says so."

"We aren't friends!" Accelerator snapped. "Acquaintances at best."

"Sure," Yang said mockingly and Accelerator's scowl increased.

"Why would you say that?" Blake asked.

"None of us noticed anything," Ruby added. "We just talked about it."

"Simple," Accelerator said with a sigh and rubbed his temples. He didn't want to talk to them about this crap, but he made a mistake and spoke up. _Hanging out with all these idiots is rubbing off on me._ Under everyone's stares, he didn't have much choice but to continue. For some reason, the girls around him were a lot more stubborn than the ones back home, even after he demonstrated his power. "None of you have been on the opposite side of that bastard."

"Language!" Ruby admonished, but Accelerator ignored her.

"Do you mean he changes when one fights him?" Ren asked for clarification.

"Pretty much." Accelerator shrugged. "First time I met him he was just an idiot over his head. Weak, slow, far beneath my notice." Blake and Ruby scowled at him. "Then when any normal person would quit, he just keeps going." Accelerator remembered his first experience facing Touma in battle. He mocked him, injured him, and showed off the difference in power, yet Touma kept standing back up and facing him. "Yet when you push him too far for something he believes in, he changes. Tsk." Accelerator made a clicking noise with his tongue. "If you reach that stage, never turn your back. He becomes… interesting." Nora's eyes widened and she opened her mouth, but Ren's quick reflexes covered it.

"No."

"Sounds like you fought him before," Weiss pointed out.

"A couple times," grunted Accelerator. "The point is, what the blind guy said, it makes sense." Fox didn't make any comment about Accelerator's rudeness.

"If his power revolves around negation," Weiss asked. "Does that mean he can negate your Vector Manipulation?" Accelerator's eyes flashed, but he didn't say anything. His silence confirmed it for everyone there.

"Wow," Jaune said. "I've seen enough of your power first hand and if he can negate it…" Jaune whistled, which didn't improve Accelerator's mood.

"He never once seemed like the kind of guy to attack first," Ruby protested.

"Because you weren't against him," Yang laughed and then turned to Accelerator. "Since you two fought before, did he beat you?"

"I never lose!" Accelerator snapped so quickly and forcefully, his response wasn't believed for an instant.

"Sounds like a sore spot," Yang said with a grin. "Maybe I'll ask him next time I see him." She was highly amused, and she wasn't the only one.

"Never lose?" Coco asked. She lowered her shades to look at Accelerator directly. "Don't you remember a little wager before we arrived at the breach?"

"Yeah? So what?"

"Pretty sure I won that," Coco pointed out.

"Wager?" Nora asked curiously.

"Tell us!" Yang added eagerly.

"Oh no," Jaune whispered to Pyrrha. "This isn't going to end well. Is it?"

"I'm sure it will be fine," she whispered back, but her smile was forced.

"Coco and Accelerator decided to have a small contest between them on who would be able to kill the most Grimm," Yatsuhashi explained.

"It was before he knew about Coco's weapon," Velvet added.

"How would you even be able to tell that?" Ruby asked. "Both of you killed so many near the end. Did you both keep track of your kills?"

"Not even close," Coco laughed. "However, besides the occasional debris he threw around, all of his attacks were within melee range. I was able to clear the Grimm from a distance just as fast. When he had to move to a new group, I simply had to rotate my weapon."

"You must have had your vision obscured by those ridiculous shades," Accelerator said. "And didn't see how all the Grimm instantly fell before me." She reminded him of a cocky guy with sunglasses of his own back home.

"Excuse me?!" Coco asked incredulously. "Ridiculous?!" She stood up and Velvet jumped up to wrap her arms around her.

"He didn't mean it like that!" Velvet cried quickly to Coco. The situation might have been able to calm down, if Yang didn't decide to join in. She couldn't resist messing with Accelerator.

"Thought the bet was how many you could kill," Yang pointed out. "Not how amazing your kills were?"

"I'll kill you," Accelerator growled at her.

"Last Order said you say that when you fall for someone," Yang laughed and flexed. "Can't say I blame you, but you're not my type. I prefer guys with more muscles."

Accelerator stood up and several people moved.

Blake clamped her hands over Yang's mouth, while Ruby grabbed Yang's arms. Pyrrha and Jaune jumped up to try to stop Accelerator, since he was closest to them. Coco remained seated, but highly amused at the situation. Velvet was sinking down in her seat. Fox and Yatsuhashi shifted slightly and prepared to jump in if the situation required it. Nora was cheering and Ren face palmed. Weiss stood up and summoned a glyph between Yang and Accelerator.

"Yang!" Weiss reprimanded. "That's enough and incredibly childish on your part!"

"He started it!" Yang protested.

"Are you a five year old?" Weiss asked incredulously. Yang blinked and looked away sheepishly. Weiss then turned to Accelerator. "Listen, I know she can be incredibly annoying…"

"Thanks, Weiss Queen." Weiss gritted her teeth for a moment before continuing.

"…but you can't stoop to her level. She feeds off it. Besides, I know you are more mature than her." Accelerator huffed, didn't reply, but sat back down. "Thank you," Weiss said with relief. _At least one of them can act like an adult._

"You were right," Coco commented to Yang. "The Ice Queen does have the power to control the Ice King."

"Told you," Yang replied with a laugh. They high fived.

Accelerator and Weiss glared at the two of them.

Everyone else could have sworn the temperature in the room dropped several degrees.

"Am I interrupting something?" A strict voice asked and everyone turned to the door of the classroom. Glynda had arrived and was walking toward them.

"No, Professor," Pyrrha piped up quickly. "We were just having a very… heated discussion. Everything is fine now."

"I see." Pyrrha shook slightly under Glynda's glare and sighed when she turned to the others. "I have no doubt you have been discussing what has transpired earlier today, I was asked to inform you that Ozpin and Mr. Kamijou are currently discussing some important topics."

"What's going to happen to him?" Ruby asked instantly.

"He has been cleared of all wrongdoing in regards to the breach," Glynda stated and Ruby looked immensely relieved. "And, as of now, he will be temporarily bunking at Beacon for an indeterminate amount of time." Coco and her team shared a look. This was a pretty unusual situation. Beacon did not normally let random citizens into Beacon without being students. They figured it had something to do with his power, but no way to prove that assumption.

"That's a relief," Jaune stated. "After he helped us, it would suck for him to be arrested."

"Indeed, Mr. Arc," Glynda said, her tone passive. "The Headmaster is under the same impression. They are still talking, but I was told you are all free to go. Please keep some of the details of what transpired a secret until the media releases the full report." Everyone nodded except Accelerator. "Thank you. One last thing, I was going to ask Mr. Accelerator if he would like to give Mr. Kamijou a tour of Beacon-…"

"No."

"That is what I thought." There was a disapproving tone to her voice. "So would someone be willing to say behind and give him a-…"

"I will!"

It was only natural for Ruby's hand to shoot up instantly. Not only did she believe it was her duty to help others, but she was also a team leader. It was her duty to help, never mind the fact she got lost in Beacon on her first day and didn't want someone else to go through that. There was also the fact she wanted to talk with Touma, this time alone without the treat of the White Fang or Torchwick. Yang smirked to herself at her sister's action. However, there was another person who had their hand shoot into the air.

No one expected Blake to volunteer.

* * *

 _Roman just continues to impress me._

Ozpin was curious as to what exactly Roman had told Touma about the situation on Remnant. After asking a few questions and follow up questions, he finally got a decent picture. Touma had a rough idea of the political nature of each kingdom, including Mistral, Vacuo, and Atlas where he had not been to. He also understood the threat the Grimm continue to exert over all of them. The understanding of the racial divide between humans and Faunus was obvious. Touma had pretty much been living with the White Fang since he arrived. Touma even had a basic understanding of dust. The only real difference was the information Roman selectively modified to suit his needs. Hunters were military enforcers just as often as they were destroyers of Grimm. The White Fang's activities were also downplayed to make them more of a resistance group rather than a terrorist organization.

 _The best lies usually have a grain of truth,_ Ozpin thought. _By feeding Mr. Kamijou mostly correct information, he wouldn't doubt the parts that are harder to confirm. If it wasn't for Ms. Belladonna and Ms. Rose, he might not have realized the truth until something unfixable happened._ True, the breach was a devastating below to city moral, but it had been contained. His students had done a great job in stemming the tide until reinforcements arrived.

Touma, on the other hand, felt terrible as he explained everything.

 _I have been so stupid,_ Touma thought. Looking back, he should have realized something was fishy. Roman kept him away from pretty much every serious discussion with the White Fang leaders. Several of the White Fang's words were more vengeful than simply fighting an oppressive regime. Blake's words should have been a wakeup call and, in his defense, he had tried to keep an open mind. The problem was he had no real idea of how things should have been except what Roman described. His words seemed to address everything, good and bad. Neo was nice, but Touma still felt goosebumps when she was about to kill Blake and Ruby. _At least she stopped before crossing that line._ The explosion with the train was the straw that broke the camel's back and opened his eyes at last.

"You shouldn't blame yourself," Ozpin stated and Touma jumped slightly.

 _Did he just read my mind?_

"Many adults much more aware of our world have fallen prey to Roman Torchwick," Ozpin continued. "He is a master of manipulation and subterfuge. There was no way to predict this would happen."

"That may be true, sir," Touma replied. "But I was still part of it and people got hurt because I couldn't see the truth, even after Blake's warning."

"People will say anything when their lives are in danger," Ozpin told him. "You were at least willing to hear her out, and I thank you for it. From what you told me, and the pieces I have heard from… others, your actions saved my student, not once, but twice. After the breach, you risked your life to stop the Grimm. For this, you have my gratitude."

"I just did what anyone in my position would have done," Touma muttered. "I had the power to help, so I did."

 _A strange boy,_ Ozpin thought. _He says that as if everyone would do that. While that would be the optimal world, things rarely work out that way. His eyes are unusually clear. His words are not a lie._ "Still," Ozpin said. "Your actions were commendable. Is there anything else you wish to tell me?"

"One more thing," Touma added and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not sure how important this is but, after seeing what happened today, you might be in a better position to judge."

"What might that be?"

"I overheard Roman and a man by the name of Adam Taurus talking about this being a larger movement," Touma explained. He eyed Ozpin carefully for any signs of recognition. Ozpin's face remained passive, so Touma continued. "I think this may have been the first step of something big. It was just rushed because the base was located." Touma scratched his cheek. "Also, from some of Roman and Neo's actions, there might be someone above them and the White Fang. Roman did say once he was paid to work with the White Fang, but not paid by them."

"A small but important distinction," Ozpin agreed. "If this turns out to be the case, it would indeed be troublesome. I thank you for bringing this to my attention."

"Anything to stop something like this from happening again," Touma replied. "Ozpin…has there been any word about what happened to Roman and Neo?"

"No," Ozpin confirmed. "There is no trace of them in the city."

"I see."

"Depressing topics, while important, should be taken in moderation," Ozpin commented and sipped his coffee. "Perhaps we could change the subject to something else I have been curious about."

"What would that be?" Touma asked.

"Your unique gift," Ozpin stated directly. "Ever since I heard of its power, I found myself thinking about it more often than I would have believed. A power that can repel Grimm, erase them on touch, and even stifle Aura, it's a fascinating discovery. Could you tell me a little more about it?"

"It's called the Imagine Breaker," Touma explained. "And it's limited to my right hand. I'm not sure why it repels Grimm, but it will negate anything supernatural, abilities, the Aura you guys have here, and even God's miracles."

"God's miracles?" Ozpin asked and raised an eyebrow.

"Supposedly," Touma said with a forced chuckle. "It's not like I got a chance to test it." He decided not to mention a couple events dealing with an angel and a magic god back in his own world.

"An extraordinary claim," Ozpin thought, but he was definitely skeptical. "Would you, perhaps, let me see it in action?"

"I guess that's fine," Touma agreed and rubbed the back of his head. "It doesn't seem to have a lasting effect from what I have seen." Ozpin was impressed at Touma's consideration. If his power had permanently erased an unlocked Aura, Ozpin guessed the boy would never allow his hand to touch anyone.

"I heard about it," Ozpin reassured him. "It is simply a curiosity I admit I have a hard time containing." Touma chuckled at this.

"Can't say you are the first to say that. There's a girl back where I come from who gets incredibly frustrated at my power for some reason." He held out his right hand across the desk for Ozpin.

"Thank you." Ozpin reached out and grasped Touma's hand with his own.

The sound of breaking glass went off.

The fact Ozpin could keep a straight face was nothing short of a miracle. He knew what to expect from touching Touma's hand, but the actual experience was not something easily braced for. He had his Aura unlocked for pretty much his entire life. Those that knew his little secret could attest that was a long time. With Ozpin's advance age, the sudden loss of his Aura sapped much of his strength. He felt older and frail instantly. Still, he did not let go. _So this is what Ms. Belladonna experienced. Most adult Hunters would not know how to react to this. I can see why Roman worked so hard to keep the boy on his side…_ His thoughts trailed off when he realized something else. _The boy wasn't lying…_

The curse on him was gone.

"Are you okay?" Touma asked. _Shit, did I break him somehow? He's older than the others and might not be used to his Aura instantly vanishing._ He didn't need someone else getting hurt because of him.

"I'm fine," Ozpin lied in a reassuring manner. He removed his hand and then blinked. _It returned along with my Aura. Why though?_ "I do have some questions. Why does our Aura return when break contact, but Grimm you erase do not?"

"There are some weird rules," Touma explained. "And I'm not sure of all of them myself." He did lose his memories a ways back and lost most of his childhood. "If the source of the supernatural affect isn't in range, I can only cancel what makes contact, like if someone threw fire at me. I negate the attack, but not their ability to use fire. As for people, I guess it's because it's part of you? I can only prevent people from accessing their supernatural abilities. Grimm are all supernatural? So they vanish. Sorry, I don't know enough about Remnant."

"No," Ozpin said and held up a hand. "Anything you think is pertinent is fine. There have been arguments among scholars about is Aura is natural or supernatural. Your hand seems to consider them the latter." He sipped his coffee to steady himself. "I'm also curious as to why it's only in your hand. Mr. Accelerator's power can be accessed anywhere he is touching."

"No idea," Touma answered with another laugh. "I would like to know that too."

"Hmm." Ozpin stood up and glanced out the window. "On Remnant, Aura is the manifestation of one's soul, which I no doubt Roman gave you short explanation on." Touma nodded, even though Ozpin couldn't see. "Anything with a soul has Aura, even Mr. Accelerator has it. Grimm are soulless and thus do not possess souls. What concerns me is that I cannot sense a soul in you."

"Has to be because of my hand," Touma deflected quickly.

"Don't get me wrong," Ozpin commented. "I believe you have a soul. You risked your lives to not only save complete strangers, but people who Roman had you believe were enemies. You told me earlier today you only helped because you could. Something without a soul would never have done such a thing. Even so, you are human, so you should possess one." He turned around. "I do agree with you about your hand. It is most likely stifling your Aura." Ozpin finished his cup of coffee and set the cup down. "Would you like to try something?"

"Try what?" Touma asked confused.

"I wish to try to unlock your Aura." Touma blinked and his mouth hung open in surprise. The silence lengthened. "What do you say?"

"Isn't that a really personal thing?" Touma asked. "I was told it's usually family or teacher or someone close to the person. Neo even offered to try once, but was needed somewhere else before we got a chance. She wasn't sure what would happen." _Wouldn't my hand just erase it?_ Touma couldn't deny he was curious to what it would be like to be stronger, faster, and tougher. The appeal was it would be his own strength and no one else would be hurt to obtain it.

"Normally, yes," Ozpin agreed. "However, you are hardly in a normal situation."

"True," Touma agreed.

"Also, having an Aura would most likely decrease suspicion of you should people be able to notice your lack of one."

"I suppose," Touma agreed again with a nod. "I don't have any idea how long we are going to be stuck here. Thanks for letting us stay here."

"I'm glad we did," Ozpin said with a smile. "You and Mr. Accelerator have been most helpful." Touma flinched and Ozpin held up a hand to prevent any argument. "Besides, I could hardly leave a couple kids alone in Vale." He paused and fiddled with his empty mug, debating if he should start making another cup. "As per Mr. Accelerator's request, I did request help from a couple individuals I know about sending you three back home." He sighed. "There is no telling how long it will take. We don't really have much information on this kind of occurrence."

"Anything is fine," Touma said quickly and extended his hands out. "I would have no idea where to begin and my hand negates dust, so any testing would probably be ruined."

 _It negates dust too? Fascinating._ Touma's power was impressing Ozpin more and more every second. "So, would you allow me to attempt to unlock your Aura?"

"If it's not too much trouble for you," Touma said quickly and Ozpin chuckled.

"It is a little taxing," he admitted. "But I'm hardly old enough to be considered elderly. Stand up for me." Ozpin walked around his desk and stood in front of Touma. "Close your eyes." Touma obliged and Ozpin put a hand on his forehead. "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality," Ozpin began. "Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, empower thee."

Ozpin felt his Aura flow out and pass into Touma, searching for the boy's own Aura supply. Unlocking a person's Aura meant one person would use their own and supercharge someone else's so it broke free from its constraints. The trick was actually reaching the Aura. This wasn't something everyone could do easily. Ozpin was experienced enough to know what to do and continued. The first problem he encountered was the void his Aura was probing. There were no signs of Touma's Aura or any signs there even was Aura. Ozpin frowned and delve deeper. It took much longer, but at last he felt it.

Touma's Aura was clear and bright, but locked up, so Ozpin began to push at it with his own.

A second later, Ozpin staggered back like he had been shot. He collided into the desk and barely managed to keep his balance.

"Ozpin!" Touma yelled and reached forward to help. "Are you okay?"

"I'm… fine," Ozpin reassured him weakly. "As I said, the process is taxing and your hand did not make it easy."

"For a second," Touma told him. "I felt it. Like some kind of power rising up from deep within me… but then it vanished."

"It seems as if your hand is preventing it from being unlocked." Ozpin walked over to his coffee pot and pour himself a cup. Touma didn't notice the headmaster's hand shaking, he was too busy looking at his own hands where he felt the power reach out to. Ozpin sat back down in his chair. "I only wanted to see if it was possible."

"So… what now?" Touma asked.

"I asked Glynda to have one of my students show you around the school," Ozpin explained. "They should be waiting outside my office. Go with them and familiar yourself with the grounds. I will work on providing you with a Scroll, a uniform, and some necessities. A room should be available for you, Accelerator, and Last Order. The room number will be sent to you this afternoon once we assure it is cleaned."

"Thank… uniform?" Touma made an abrupt one-eighty.

"For now," Ozpin said. "It will be best for you to pretend to be a student to avoid suspicion. You and Accelerator will be traveling with Team RWBY and Team JNPR for the most part. Don't worry." He gave a small, if not strained, smile. "You will not be asked to participate in any combat class."

"That's one piece of good news," Touma agreed. "Though, with my luck, it's going to happen anyways."

"If you have any questions, please ask." When none came, Ozpin gestured to the door. "Just go out the way you came from and you should see your guide."

"Okay." Touma opened the door and was about to leave, when he stopped and turned around. "Thank you for everything, Ozpin. Even after what happened, you still were willing to help us."

"I was more than happy to," Ozpin told him. "But remember, in school address me as Headmaster or Professor." Touma nodded and the door closed behind him.

Ozpin's demeanor changed instantly.

He sagged in his chair and his face paled. Sweat formed on his brow and his hands shook. When he had reached Touma's Aura and pushed towards it, something interfered. Ozpin felt it instead of seeing it. _Something alive was wrapped around Mr. Kamijou's soul. Was it feeding on it or is it part of it? I don't know enough about his world to know for sure._ He could still picture the beast in his mind's eye. It was large, scaly, with a huge mouth full of razor sharp teeth. A single eye seemed to stare directly into his own soul. He finally had a glimpse as to what Fox testified to Glynda. Ozpin would have just stopped there and retreated, but the creature noticed him.

It had attacked.

Ozpin had lost a decent chunk of his Aura to the monster. For a second, he had been worried the thing was going to reach all the way to his core, when it was stopped. Another force seemed to bind it like chains and pulled it back, as Ozpin himself staggered backwards. It retreated back into Touma and vanished. Right when it had been pulled back, Touma's Aura had been unleashed. _That creature was being bound around Touma's soul. Was it living off him or maybe it's trapped. Maybe the reason we can't feel his Aura is because it's being used to keep that creature in check. How does the Imagine Breaker tie into this then? Question after question._ He took a few deep breaths and a couple sips of coffee to steady himself. Most of all, he wanted to know what that thing was.

It wasn't a Grimm.

It was much more terrifying.

"You know," Ozpin said out loud. "I wasn't lying when I told him we couldn't find you in the city. The fact you didn't attack when I was in this disoriented state suggests you truly only wish to talk. Come out and I will listen to what you have to say." Ozpin waited a moment and then the far wall of his office shattered into hundreds of pieces that fell onto the ground and vanished.

Standing there, leaning on her folded up parasol, was Neo.

"Hello, Ms. Neopolitan," Ozpin greeted her. "To what do I owe this honor?" Neo waltzed over, sat down in the chair opposite of Ozpin's office, typed something on her scroll, and held it up.

' _I wish to make a deal.'_

"Interesting," Ozpin commented. "Well, I'm willing to listen."

* * *

"Blake?!"

"Hello," Blake replied and closed the book she had been reading while waiting for Touma to leave Ozpin's office. "Ruby did say she gave you my name."

"Are you my guide?" Touma asked and she nodded. "Er… well thanks. Oh, I'm sorry what happened during our first… and second encounter." This was a very awkward situation for him and he almost felt like making a break for it. The first time he met, she had put a sword to his throat and he had accidently caused her capture. The second time, his ally Neo had beaten her up and almost killed her.

"I volunteered for a couple reasons," Blake said, her voice calm and not betraying anything. "First, as thanks for saving my life, twice, even after I threatened you. Two, there is something important I need to ask of you."

"What is it?" Touma asked. "I'll help anyway I can." Blake fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Not here," she replied. "Later, when others can't eavesdrop. For now, I'll show you around." She turned around and started walking before Touma could utter another word. He had to hurry and catch up or he would be left behind.

* * *

"So tired," Yang complained. She and everyone else had left the classroom while Blake stayed behind with Glynda. Team CFVY had split a little earlier. "Can't wait to sleep until dinner."

"Maybe you should clean up first," Weiss suggested. "Unless you want your entire bed to stink."

"Sleep first, bath later."

"We kicked Grimm butt today!" Nora cheered. "We totally took out the entire population of Grimm in Vale at least. Can't wait to tell everyone tonight."

"Now, now, Nora," Ren said. "While we did defeat a large number of Grimm, many still exist around the kingdom."

"Our actions will surely reduce the number of attacks for some time at least," Pyrrha added happily.

"Thanks for the assist," Jaune said to Accelerator. "You really saved our bacon."

"The brat really wanted me to help," Accelerator scoffed. "And I wasn't doing anything else."

"That's his way of saying he loves us," Yang pointed out and laughed at his scowl. "But he's right, you helped us out of a _hole_ heap of trouble." There was silence for a moment.

"Did you just…?" Pyrrha asked.

"Dang it, Yang!" Weiss snapped. Accelerator rubbed his head and wished he could kill everyone. He also knew the second he entered Team JNPR's room, the brat would jump at him and demand to know what happened. "Your jokes are terrible."

"Like paper?" Yang asked.

"GAH!"

"You have been awfully quiet, Rubes," Jaune whispered to Ruby. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Ruby replied and diverted her eyes.

"Don't give me that," Jaune said with a sigh. "My sisters do that all the time. I know something's up. If you don't want to talk about it with me, fine. But maybe Yang would want to know." Ruby's eyes widened in alarm and looked up, but Yang was too busy needling Accelerator to listen to them.

"Don't," Ruby pleaded. "I'll tell, but don't tell Yang."

"I won't," Jaune promised and Ruby knew she was in the clear. Jaune would not break a promise.

"I'm kind of disappointed I didn't get to show Touma around," she admitted. "He was so cool and I wanted to thank him for helping me out of Torchwick's clutches."

"Well," Jaune said carefully. "She did say she wanted to tell him something important and he's going to be staying here with everyone. I'm sure you will have plenty of opportunities to talk to him. Maybe you could show him around Vale." Ruby's eyes lit up.

"That's a great idea, Jaune," Ruby said excitedly, but still kept her voice down. "Thanks for it. You're definitely my bestest male friend. Weiss is my bestest female friend of course." The two teams finally reached their dorms. "Bye, Jaune." Jaune waved and Team JNPR with Accelerator started filing into their room.

"At last," Yang cheered. "Rest and relax… WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BED?!" Weiss and Ruby stared into their room from behind her. Everything was exactly the same, except Yang's bed was gone. Blake's books, which propped up Yang's bed, had not moved at all.

Across the hall, they heard a bark-like laugh.

"He actually did it," Weiss groaned and face palmed.

"This is why you don't tease people!" Ruby admonished.

"This means war!" Yang declared and her eyes flashed red.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **Current Ship Names:**

 **Touma and Yang: Fistbump / Punchline/ Imagine Dragon/ Love at First Punch/ Hair You Go Again**

 **Touma and Weiss: Cool to the Touch / Princess and the Pauper / Shattered Mirror**

 **Touma and Ruby: Blossoming / Thorny Rose / Speedy Rescue / Innocently Indecent/ Nectar of the Gods.**

 **Touma and Blake: Nine Lives / Bad Luck / Kami-Nyaan**

 **Touma and Velvet: Bunny Couple / Rabbit's Foot/ Lucky Number Zero/ Camera Shy**

 **Touma and Penny: Android's Dream / Faulty Electronics/ Lost Change**

 **Touma and Ren: Lotus Fist**

 **Touma and Jaune: Better Luck Next Time/ Lifesavers**

 **Touma and Nora: Glutton for Punishment / Divine Sparks**

 **Touma and Pyrrha: Babe Magnet/ Dense Armaments**

 **Touma and Coco: Black Coffee/ Stylish Illusion**

 **Touma and Glynda: Teacher's Pet / Promise Lands/ Dunce Cap**

 **Touma and Adam: Chronic Crusaders/ Prick and the Pauper**

 **Touma and Emerald: Shattered Illusions / Illusion Breaker / Portmanteau Poverty**

 **Touma and Twins: Triple Threat / Cerberus**

 **Touma and Cinder: Through the Fire and Flame / Fire Demons / Sinner and Savior/ A Match Made In Hellfire**

 **Touma and Neo: Uncertain Flavor / Breaking Reality/ Stockholm Slasher Romance**

 **Touma and Salem: Burning Witch / Light and Shadow / Shattering Darkness/ Grimm Chances of Survival**

 **Touma and Summer: Summer Break.**

 **Touma and Raven: Alpha and Omega/ Feather for Brains**

 **Touma and Qrow: Misfortune Squared / Bad luck Charms**

 **Accelerator and Weiss: Cold and Calculating / Ice Vector / A Frosty Reception**

 **Accelerator and Yang: Road Rage / Short Fuse / Way of the Dragon**

 **Accelerator and Ruby: One-Way Rose / No Brakes / Rose Manipulation**

 **Accelerator and Blake: Twilight Arrow / Chain and Sickly / Chasing Shadows**

 **Accelerator and Nora: Shattered Bones / Broken Dreams / Nerve Impulse/ Going The Distance**

 **Accelerator and Velvet: White Flash / Hopping Mad**

 **Accelerator and Glynda: Fix and Destroy**

 **Accelerator and Penny: String Theory/ Broken Toys**

 **Accelerator and Sun: Sunny and Sullen**

 **Accelerator and Adam: Charging Bull/ Rabid Animals**

 **Accelerator and Mercury: Killer Moves**

 **Accelerator and Emerald: Red Eyed Killers/ After Image**

 **Accelerator and Coco: Fashionable Disaster/ Fashion is a Science**

 **Accelerator and Pyrrha: Opposites Attract/ Copper Aftertaste**

 **Accelerator and Raven: Yang's Nightmare/ Fallen Feathers**


	18. The Perks of Being a Teenager

**Yes, there is a lot more to the RWBY universe than just fighting. Beacon is a school and many other things happen. Slice of life scenes can be some of the most entertaining. With fight scenes, there are only so many ways to make them different. The scene with Ozpin trying to unlock Touma's Aura took a lot of thought on how I wanted to do it. Combining two different series and powers has no set rules, but I wanted to make it believable. As we still don't have full detail information on the invisible thing within Touma and how Aura would interact with it, I thought what I finally decided on was a good compromise. A lot of people commented positively on it, so I feel it worked out. Yes, there is more that has not been reached, but it's not like everything can be revealed right at the beginning. We can't forget the fun with Accelerator either. He's going to get some bad news this chapter. Plus, we have to get everyone together. Touma hasn't met the rest of Team RWBY and JNPR.**

 **alaude hibari: I like it. Fits them well.**

 **dickythamrin077: It was seen more than it appeared. Neo wants a lifetime of ice cream and Touma, and then she will tell Ozpin everything. Blake has a specific objective in mind. She can talk if she wants to, but usually prefers reading. I want to have Velvet appear more, but as she's not a MC, her time will be limited.**

 **Ahsoei: Reason cliffhangers can be fun. It keeps you looking forward toward the next chapter.**

 **shiroryuu012: No problem, always glad people are enjoying it.**

 **Guest: Could be worse. Touma would have run away if it was, "We need to talk."**

 **Animefan1337: There is no resistance against Kami-yan Disease.**

 **alaude hibari: I try. People have high expectations.**

 **Guest: There is a reason for him to become more aggressive and wanting to be dominant. You will know soon, but I do see how that sounds a little off. I'm not a professional.**

 **HikariNiwa: Look at it logically. You unlock a door and a tiger is standing on the otherwise of the door, preparing to pounce. You would soil your pants too.**

 **Adv: Reason I like slice of life stuff. Combat is fine and has a purpose, but funny stuff in between keeps everyone entertained.**

 **Sergio644: Touma doesn't have a harem. He doesn't know any girls who like him like that. They just want to mess with him.**

 **Bluejack222: Yes it is.**

 **DD soul: Always happy when people enjoy something that took time to plan. Knowing the work was worth it really makes me want to continue.**

 **IlluminatiAnimeLover789: Touma has reasons not to go out, but pretending to be dense is just easier to do. Yang likes to push the limits of what people will take, so that is a real possibility. Accelerator flipping would definitely cause her to dial back her pranks. Last Order is there to help stop the pot from boiling over though. Once Yang realizes how easy it is to embarrass Touma, she might focus on him a bit. Hard to tell what Neo is thinking, but she probably will.**

 **LL: Coco would do something like that. She would probably also have Last Order next to her so Accelerator couldn't throw a tantrum. Touma would just dodge the question and not really confirm or deny it. Ruby is star struck at the very least. Maybe Kaori could lend Blake a certain maid outfit for her to show her gratitude. Oh god, I could see Neo doing that to Adam to troll him if Blake tried to make a serious move on Touma. Adam would take Blake and Neo would hide Touma from him. Win for both of them. I can guarantee Neo will troll Blake and Ruby every chance she gets, if they aren't trying to kill each other. Touma being part of Beacon, he knows has facility healthcare. For once, he doesn't have to worry about them. Instead, he's surrounded by monsters and hormonal kids with weapons. I really thought about the Maidens and the IB, and I'm not quite sure how that would work yet. I have a plan and I'm thinking about it for the long run.**

 **WriterAdam: I've been asked by many people to bring in some more characters from the Indexverse. The thing is, there are already tons of people in RWBY, adding more would diminish time for others. It could possibly happen far down the road. TMAN for Tou-Man would work better. Black Cat just kind of focuses on Blake. Not sure if Dust would work on Touma's memories, as it wasn't damage, but the memories were erased from existence.**

 **The Rupture: I have a lot of freedom as the dragons STILL have not been explained and there is no information on how they work with Aura. Angels' nature is not to destroy things in Index. They are machine-like things that carry out a specific order. That could mean destroying something, but could also mean other things. Accelerator's power may not be connected to his soul as much as the IB, so the full scope is not visible yet. Fox mentioned there was more to Accelerator than it first appeared. Accelerator is supposed to be The One Who Wields the Power of God.**

 **G119: Thanks.**

 **Zenkichi: Accelerator, lose? Nah, could never happen.**

 **Maderfole: I did recognize your famous essays. I advise watching the RWBY series for the first season and a half. You will get a lot more of the jokes then. As I have said to others, there are only so many ways you can write battle scenes. Different powers just do different things. With slice of life scenes, the possibilities are endless. Growth is something everyone can appreciate. I might be saving IT for that certain battle. Who doesn't like a giant dragon battle? The one with the sharpest fangs will win. I really did think about it, and I figured it would be Mikoto, Index, and Kanzaki as the likely choice, though Othinus might demand to come instead of Index or Kanzaki. Most of the science side girls wouldn't be involved in this. No, Accelerator doesn't have any allies that would cross dimensions, but Aleister might have a hand in sending someone to retrieve them. General Ironwood would make complete military use of Touma. Let's say they wanted to make a new base in the Grimm Wilds, Touma could be placed there to keep Grimm away. Fox will no doubt encounter him, but the exact reactions will be up for debate.**

 **I actually have a scene with Accelerator telling one of the girls at one point, in a combination of annoyance and anger. It's still in planning stages, but it should allow some character growth involved. Yang vs Accelerator will continue to progress, hopefully he doesn't cut her hair. Ozpin actually find out quite a lot of information, which maybe won't be noticed until much further down the road. Neo appearing just means she's going to be sticking around a bit. Ozpin is not one to throw away something to protect humanity. Neo is strong, there is no doubt about that. It's kind of obvious once Blake asks Touma the question. People are thinking too much into it. There was a small discussion which led to Blake winning, the exact wording wasn't that important. This story was actually supposed to be a side project I would write when I got stuck in ACIP, and now it's my most popular work. Weird how things work out like this. I can guarantee you, Accelerator will not slip into the background. What I have planned for him… it's kind of mean.**

 **ParadoxVictor: It was about average in length, but fight scenes always seem to last longer. Maybe you enjoyed it so much it just seemed short?**

 **Inacio: Touma doesn't even know how magic works himself and his grades with abilities is subpar. Neo is best girl and can do anything. Length is not determined as things are still being worked out.**

 **MythAnime: There are more main characters in RWBY than Index, but some scenes require certain characters. In the future, there will be scenes focused purely on Accelerator, or Touma, or some mixture. I'm giving Last Order a little more conversation in this chapter and hoping she will start doing more in the future.**

 **WiliamZ0: Chapter names are tough, more so than actually writing them. Touma does have to be introduced to the rest of the group, he really only met three people, though he had a glimpse of Ren and Weiss. I can see Touma getting along with James and Ozpin, but yeah, he's going to be used, like everyone else. IT may not like Grimm more than humans. He makes four kingdoms clash because too many females from each one want him, obviously. Glynda might not be informed about IT. No idea what happened to CFVY in season 5. Youth! Blake can finally have a healthy relationship. Neo is my favorite girl so she will get more screen time.**

 **Jonathan Ngoh: I always accept ideas and I love reading comments. Even if I don't use the ideas, they might stimulate a new one. I thought so too. Some scenes don't need to be written out for you to know what happened. The deal is already planned out, so I can't spoil to much here. How dare you not ship! To the gulag! Kakine would not balance things out. He would have the Grimm win instantly. Salem could win in a direct fight with humanity, but she's after something more. They are fighting a shadow war.**

 **Guest: 1) No idea. 2) Maybe. You have to read and find out. 3) Things. Terrible, but great things.**

 **A certain guest: Assume Ozpin used a simplified explanation for Last Order, who he sees as a very young kind. Shapeshifting does seem to be considered magic, but you would think a Semblance might be able to. There are weird rules going on that are not explained well. I plan to have fun with Ruby being torn between liking Jaune and Touma. Should be fun for her character growth. Ruby will tell Yang at some point and things will get crazy about their little jewel kick. Vagueness of rules allow me to take some creative liberties. Touma's thing is that he a normal person surrounded by people who we would consider gifted. He is required to use his mind more than just an OP ability. Because the gifted rely too much on their ability, his hand can be used effectively against them. If you give Touma an OP ability, you remove the very core of his being.**

 **GuestStar: The novel does hint at that, yes. But just because Ozpin and Fox only see one, doesn't mean there aren't more hidden. You could also reason IB, IT, WR, and Magic Gods could be a rock paper style of things. Each one could beat another one.**

 **Neema Amiry: Thanks.**

 **Guest: Puberty is mean to people.**

 **Croniklerx: I have noticed that about Ironwood. People make him eventually become the bad guy. He may be a little extreme sometimes, but he does truly care about protecting humanity from the Grimm. When you see Neo, she's one of those people who does what she wants. The fact she travels with Roman so much, indicates she likes him to some degree. Now that Touma got her attention, she's going to follow him around. When you see Grimm on a daily basis, you are a little tougher than most. Sure, he was surprised and fearful at the beginning, but he could realize there's an explanation. Touma did help them out, so he can at least try and verify what exactly that thing is. Or he may find a reason to not go near him, who knows? Ozpin was struck by it partially and he calmed down after a few minutes. Fox has hours with the others and he did tell Glynda about it. Your ideas for him sound intriguing, bookmarked for possible future event. Congrats, you are now Ruby. This is why Ruby hates puns. Nora's kind of tough to write for me, but I'll give her pancakes and calm her down a bit. What could Ozpin possibly have planned for Touma? While I laughed at the 3 way name, I try to avoid three way names, way too many combinations. A few are hereditary, but there's probably a reason for it that we don't know. Neo is guaranteed to come back in canon. That has been confirmed. I tried to limit the details on Touma's Aura, IT and everything else involved. That can be decided down the road and the novels might give me more ideas as they come out. The small reactions are better than just always saying "X person is embarrassed." Terrible, tear-able.**

 **PS- Your anger at cliffhangers makes me smile.**

 **Pasapack: 1) No, it's rated T. 2) Probably dragon. 3) If it's not his hands and the dust is applied correctly to the injury, I don't see why not. 4) Pyrrha. 5) He can. 6) Find out when it is revealed. 7) Possibly. 8) Based on her reading material, that could happen. 9) What? 10) Not sure yet.**

 **ToAnon: I have several ideas how people from the Indexverse could join in, but I'm hesitant on doing it anytime soon. Salem and Wellen will be an interesting combination. I'm using the magician mostly to give Salem access to some interesting monsters. You have begun thinking of a few interesting things that I may have planned for future events. I don't think the Misaka Network is going to play much role on Remnant though. Oh god, Last Order and Penny will be the best of friends.**

 **Tecpatl: No problem. Thanks for reading and commenting.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

It was hardly surprising to Accelerator that Last Order jumped at him and demanded to know what happened when he entered Team JNPR's dorm. The rumor mill naturally reached her, even when she was staying in the dorm most of the day. After all, she had to leave at least once for food. With everyone else collapsing on the beds due to exhaustion, Accelerator gave her an overview of what happened when he arrived. This was a mistake, as Last Order latched on to a single thing he said after making sure her new friends were all okay.

"The Savior is here?! MISAKA asks excitedly as MISAKA tries to make sure she didn't hear wrong."

"Tsk," Accelerator replied with a click of his tongue. "I told you that damn hero would show up eventually."

"That's great! MISAKA says happily as MISAKA can't wait to meet him again. But why did the train full of explosives crash into Vale? MISAKA asks confused. MISAKA thought everyone was against the Grimm?"

"Ask them." Accelerator pointed to the others. Jaune and Nora had already fallen asleep, but Ren had opened an eye at his comment. Pyrrha was the only one who actually propped herself up. Being a former champion, she was used to strenuous training regiments. She was tired like the others, but she could talk a bit with Last Order before crashing.

"A group of people wanted to cause panic in Vale," Pyrrha explained. Last Order bolted over to her bed and flopped down on it to listen. Ren gave a small smile and closed his eyes again.

"Why?"

"We don't really know," she admitted. "But it was lucky we found out. We were originally there just to investigate some strange Grimm activity…"

Accelerator tuned her out there. She would distract Last Order long enough for him to get some peace and quiet. He actually had something he wanted to do. He pulled out a book and started reading the last few pages. Once finished, he picked up a couple more books under the cot, walked over to Jaune's desk, and put them back. Pyrrha and Last Order looked at him. Regardless what anyone thought, Accelerator hadn't been doing nothing. There were plenty of things to read about Dust, Grimm, and Remnant's history.

"Finished with them," he answered gruffly before they could ask.

"Already?" asked Pyrrha in astonishment. "Did you really understand it?"

"It's a new concept," Accelerator replied. "But those books were for beginners and it was just like learning something new."

"Accelerator is really smart, MISAKA adds. He can learn things in a fraction of the time most people could. Our abilities require calculations and the stronger someone is, the more advance calculations they need to do, MISAKA explains proudly as MISAKA reminds you about their differences."

"That's right." Pyrrha nodded. "I did forget for a moment. I saw how quickly you picked up a lot of stuff too." Last Order beamed at her.

"Watch the brat for me," Accelerator said. "Heading out for a bit."

"Where are you going? MISAKA protests as MISAKA waves her arms wildly to express her displeasure. You just got back!"

"Library." Accelerator headed toward the door.

"MISAKA wants to come!"

"You'll just be annoying."

"I can't guarantee I will be a good sitter," Pyrrha explained to Accelerator. A smile was plastered to her face, but it was faked. She knew Last Order wanted to go with him. "I'm about to crash like the others." Nora snored loudly and everyone glanced at her for a moment. "Did not get much sleep last night and then all the fighting."

"Tsk." Accelerator clicked his tongue again. "Fine. Come on brat."

"Bye! MISAKA says gratefully as MISAKA waves in thanks." The smile on her face couldn't be more sincere as she thanked Pyrrha for setting up Accelerator to take her. Pyrrha smiled to herself as she laid back in her bed. There was still a little guilt because she passed Last Order off to Accelerator. However, sleep quickly overtook her as she joined her teammates in dreamland. The last thing she saw was Jaune's cute sleeping face.

* * *

"Do you think Blake sunk her claws into that Touma guy yet?"

Ruby had just about to fall asleep, but her eyes shot wide open at Yang's words. She sat up, ignoring her aching body, and turned toward her sister, who was lying on her back in Blake's bed.

"Yang!" Ruby whined indignantly. "Blake's not that kind of girl!"

"I'm just saying," Yang pointed out and turned to face Ruby. "When have you ever seen Blake take the initiative to actually volunteer to spend time with someone like that? She actually competed against you for that opportunity."

"S-she… had something important to tell him," Ruby answered.

"Maybe like how she likes him?" Yang interjected with a smirk.

"They barely know each other," Ruby protested, her voice becoming slightly panicked.

"Love at first sight." Yang laughed. She was enjoying Ruby's reactions so much. "Those books she reads, I bet half of them have the girl being saved by a guy and falling in love."

"I s-suppose that could happen," Ruby admitted and hid her burning face from her sister. "But I don't think Blake would do that. It took her ages to open up to us."

"True," Yang agreed and fell silent for a moment. "Still, it seems like the most likely option, based on the fact he saved her twice." She frowned. "He saved you too, from what you told us. Torchwick was probably going to kill you if he hadn't stepped in. I really need to thank him for that. If I had lost you…" Her voice died out.

"He's really cool," Ruby said to lighten the mood. "Isn't he? Do you think he will let me help build him a cool weapon? Since he doesn't have one?"

"Geeze, lil sis." Yang had a huge grin plastered on her face. "You already want to work on his weapon? Don't you think you are moving kind of fast? What happened to the dinner and a movie first?"

"Yaaaang!" Ruby cried indignantly. "He needs a weapon for protection and I have to thank him like Blake-…"

"Going to have to draw the line there," Yang interrupted. "I'm pretty sure Blake dragged him into a broom closet and started to mark him as hers. You are not going to do that!"

"She's not going to do that!" Ruby protested loudly.

"Who are you trying to convince?" Yang asked and Ruby opened her mouth, though her face turned an even brighter shade of red than it was before. Before she could think of a comeback, someone else broke the silence.

"Will you two dolts shut up?!" Yang and Ruby jumped in their beds as Weiss's high pitched voice echoed across the room. She was sitting up and rubbing her head. "I was trying to take a nap, but that's extremely hard to do with you two gossiping like children!"

"We stopped Ice Queen from dreaming about her king," Yang snickered. "Soooo sorry."

"I wasn't thinking about Accelerator," Weiss snapped.

"I never mentioned him by name," Yang said in a superior voice.

"Gah…!" Words failed Weiss for a moment, until Ruby joined in laughing with Yang. Weiss's face flushed and she glared at Yang. "For your information, I was going over everything we know and suspected about the attack. I still can't figure out why the White Fang would want to attack Vale like that. It's such an indiscriminate attack that would have pulled in countless Faunus."

"You really need to take a break and relax once in a while," Yang yawned. "Maybe it will help you not be so uptight all the time."

"I'm organized," Weiss denied. "I'm not uptight."

"You are pretty uptight, Weiss," Ruby interjected.

"Maybe I won't help either of you two with Oobleck's essay," Weiss threatened.

"Nooo!" Ruby cried and Yang looked alarmed.

"Okay, okay," Yang relented. "No need to take offense." Yang glanced up at the ceiling for a minute. "Seriously though, were you thinking about Accelerator?"

"No!" Weiss turned away and threw her pillow over her head. "Besides, you can tell he doesn't seem to be interested in anyone."

"Well," Ruby corrected. "Except making sure Last Order is taken care of. I'm still not sure if they are related in some way. She's so cryptic and Accelerator won't answer it."

"I don't know," Yang said thoughtfully. "They don't look alike at all." Her eyes flashed red. "But just because Last Order is adorable, doesn't mean I'm holding back against him. He threw my bed out the window!"

"You did push him to it," Weiss pointed out, as she lowered her pillow. It seemed she resigned herself to the fact the two sisters would not stop talking. "And he follows through."

"Speaking of follow through," Yang said suggestively and turned to Weiss. "Did you notice him checking Coco out? Could have sworn he was."

"You sure he wasn't angry about that bet of theirs?" Ruby asked. "He was rather adamant he didn't lose."

"It's hard to say for sure," Weiss spoke up. "He killed the Grimm pretty effortlessly, but the point Coco's gun had a wider range has its merit. No one was actually keeping count."

"If we were," Yang declared. "I would have won. We started way before they showed up. They only got the waves at the end."

"Hah!" Weiss laughed mockingly. "You relied too much on pulverizing each one. I struck mine down with more precision and didn't waste as much time."

"Don't delude yourself," Yang retorted.

"Don't delude, _yourself,_ "Ruby interjected. "With my speed, I totally took down more." They three girls stared at each other and Ruby realized the tension was growing thick. "But," she added jokingly. "I think we are lagged behind Pyrrha. She was a Grimm owning machine."

"True," Yang conceded.

"Her impressive skills have only grown since she arrived," Weiss agreed. The room fell silent and the girls started to drift off for a nap, until Ruby spoke up, more to herself than the others.

"How much longer do you think until Blake returns with Touma?"

None of them got much rest from then on. Yang's teasing was merciless.

* * *

Accelerator hadn't been to the library in Beacon yet, but he had memorized the map he had been given long ago. If he was going to be stuck in this world for who knew how long, he needed to at least learn the basics of their primary energy source and the Grimm. The books he had borrowed from Jaune were basic and he needed more details. There were all different types of dust and, while he couldn't use it with Aura, he could mix or combine them to produce different effects without it. It wasn't like he needed to learn about it for protection, but he had a couple other reasons to learn about it.

First, Last Order would want to test it out at some point, so he would need to watch her. There were limits of how much faith he could place in the others. Nora, while entertaining, would no longer cause an explosion if she and Last Order started messing around with dust together. Second, boredom was a thing and their version of the internet wasn't nearly as prominent as the one back home. He also might discover something that could be of use getting them back to their world. Third, he could rub it in Yang's face that he was better at using it than her, even though he just arrived in Remnant.

He didn't quite understand why he wanted to mess with that girl so much. Sure, she was annoying as hell and liked to think she was a big shot. Maybe she had been here, but Accelerator was in a league of his own. There was also the fact she didn't seem that smart and was one of those meathead fighters. If Last Order hadn't grown attached to her, he might have thrown her out the window with the bed. From his short interactions with her, it was obvious Yang would not take it lying down and would try to get him back. He smirked at the challenge and then realized what he did. The smirk because a frown.

 _Fuck, am I turning into that sunglasses wearing idiot?_

"…you listening? MISAKA demands." Accelerator had been so lost in his own thoughts, he hadn't realized Last Order had been talking for the last five minutes. At first he had replied an occasional grunt or noise to pretend he was listening, but he had stopped. She detected that and jumped in front of him so he almost tripped over her.

"Brat," he growled. "What have I said about doing this shit?"

"Not to, MISAKA answers upset as MISAKA glares at you and refuses to be persuaded by your attitude this time." Accelerator raised an eyebrow. "You weren't listening to MISAKA, MISAKA accuses."

"Tsk, fine. What do you want?"

"MISAKA thinks you should be nicer to the others, MISAKA explains quickly. They treat us really well and MISAKA really likes them all, especially Weiss and Jaune. Please don't do things like destroying their property again, MISAKA begs as MISAKA looks at you with sad eyes." Accelerator clicked his tongue again.

"No promises," Accelerator said and Last order tilted her head slightly. "I'll try, but that whore is really annoying."

"That's another thing MISAKA realizes as MISAKA recognizes a fatal flaw in Accelerator's habit. Call people by their names and they will be friendlier to you."

"I prefer people to keep their distance," Accelerator muttered.

"It's not good for you to do so, MISAKA protests as MISAKA waves her hands wildly. This is the perfect opportunity for you to befriend people who haven't heard bad rumors about you. MISAKA already knows they are all good people and would be willing to be your friend if you would only grab their hand of friendship." Accelerator blinked.

"You've been watching too many of those crappy anime again."

"Deflecting blame is not going to work here, MISAKA declares as MISAKA crosses her arms in defiance."

"Why are you so adamant about this crap?"

"Because… MISAKA really likes the atmosphere here, MISAKA tries to explain. The atmosphere here, even with these Grimm, is much more pleasant than most of the time back home. It's like when we are with Yomikawa and Yoshikawa. The others treat MISAKA so well and MISAKA likes spending time with them, like MISAKA does with you. Is MISAKA being clear enough? MISAKA asks as MISAKA finds she has trouble articulating her feelings."

"…"

Accelerator stared at her for a minute in silence. The look on her face was a mixture of happiness and nervousness. It was obvious, even to him, she really liked the others for some reason. As he thought about it, he did technically owe them. Team JNPR saved him and Team RWBY did find Last Order. They even gave the two of them a place to stay. _They even continue to talk to me when I push them away. Why the fuck is that?_ Accelerator was used to pushing everyone away because people either wanted to test themselves against him or would hurt themselves. Without his automatic deflection, he was a lot more defenseless, but that also meant it would be harder to hurt someone by accident. This wouldn't be easy, he spent years ignoring people and now Last Order wanted him to change his lifestyle completely.

Her pleading eyes were not fair when arguing.

"I won't guarantee anything," Accelerator relented. "But if you are going to keep making a fuss, I'll consider it."

"All MISAKA is asking from you is to try, MISAKA says happily as MISAKA beams at you." Accelerator diverted his eyes. How someone could be so happy from him barely conceding was beyond him. "MISAKA recommends Weiss first, MISAKA suggests."

"Huh?!" Okay, he had not expected that. From their earlier comments, while she adored Last Order, Weiss did not like his attitude and she had a very pompous one herself. He only called her Snow Angel to mock her.

"Weiss is a lot like you, MISAKA explains. She has baggage in her past too and she needs to move past it. You two are so similar."

"I seriously doubt that shit."

"Tough exterior is a sign of a traumatic event, MISAKA protests angrily. Yomikawa even said so!" Accelerator glared at her.

"What else did she say?"

"That it takes time to accept it, MISAKA says softly as MISAKA diverts her eyes. We all agree you really should be friends and MISAKA would love to spend time with you and Weiss, but if you don't get along…" Her voice trailed off and she looked depressed.

"You make things difficult, you know?" Accelerator muttered. His tone was a little irritated, but wasn't outright angry.

"All MISAKA asks is you try to make friends, MISAKA simplifies." Accelerator gave a curt nod. "Yay! MISAKA cheers. Accelerator has taken the first step to rejoining normal society!" He scowled again.

"It's going to end badly," Accelerator huffed.

"Nonsense, MISAKA denies quickly. This isn't one of the times you can predict everything perfectly. MISAKA is definitely right this time, MISAKA says as MISAKA presses the attack." She continued to beam at him. "This will be good practice for when we return home MISAKA adds at the last minute." Accelerator didn't respond and she continued. "Though MISAKA is a little worried." Accelerator glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Weiss is really pretty and he might fall to her charms, MISAKA mutters worriedly." She slapped her cheeks. "No, MISAKA says firmly to herself as MISAKA reinforces her resolve. Plan: Make Accelerator Friends is worth the risk."

 _As if that would happen,_ Accelerator thought to himself and started ignoring Last Order's muttering again. _I don't need another headache to deal with._ The library came into sight. _But I guess she is kind of attractive._ As much as Accelerator played everything off as an annoyance, he was still a guy and could understand physical attraction, even if it wasn't something he really experienced. He suddenly stopped outside of the library when he realized what he just thought. _Where did that come from?_ He had never focused on female looks before, but now he pictured her in his mind compared to the others. While she wasn't nearly as endowed as any of the other girls at Beacon he had seen, she had a sort of otherworldly ethereal beauty, which seemed to have captivated Jaune.

"Is everything okay? MISAKA asks confused at Accelerator just standing outside the door." Accelerator shook his head and then stared at her for a second.

"Thinking," was all he replied as he pushed open the door. Last Order split off and started to browse the shelves randomly, while Accelerator started methodically, by looking at signs. While he browsed the books about dust, occasionally glancing at ones that grabbed his attention, his mind was focused on other things. _What the hell was I doing? I don't think about people that much, except for the brats because they get into trouble constantly._ He frowned as he glanced at the index of the books, checking for a continuation of where the previous ones stopped, but his mind was elsewhere. He felt warm, even though the library was rather cool. Last Order occasionally entered his peripheral vision to let him know she was still okay, a couple books clamped in her hands. Time passed and he didn't get through nearly as many books as he wanted to, mostly because Last Order's conversation kept making some of the other girls pop into his mind. He glanced out the window and froze.

Touma was walking side by side with Blake away from the main school building.

 _Maybe the whore was right,_ Accelerator thought. _The bookworm is going to claim the damn hero. What a bastard._ He wasn't sure why he felt a twinge of jealousy, but he vowed to make Touma's life difficult the next chance he got. He picked up a couple books on dust and a larger one on uncommon Grimm, when he suddenly felt dizzy. The bookshelf allowed him to stabilize himself before he fell. _What the fuck… damn it. Why now? Maybe the healing they gave me won't last. Shit._ He was told to visit the infirmary if he noticed anything strange with his body's condition.

* * *

"And that covers the school buildings," Blake announced, as she and Touma stepped outside.

"I'm going to get lost constantly," Touma sighed miserably. His feet hurt were hurting too, but he kept that fact to himself. Blake was a good guide, though a little quiet. She really only spoke when pointing out places like the cafeteria, library, classrooms and so on. Occasionally, she would answer his questions. The rest of the time she was silent and seemed to be avoiding looking at him directly. "This school is huge."

"Ruby got lost at first too," Blake reassured him. "But she learned the layout eventually. You will too."

"Anything left to see?" he asked her.

"Just a quick walk around the grounds," Blake answered. She took off and Touma quickly went after her.

"Er, Blake?"

"Hmm?"

"I know I said it already," Touma said. "But thanks for showing me around. I know you must be tired after… what happened earlier today."

"We had plenty of rest while you were talking to Ozpin," Blake replied without turning around. "To be honest, I was kind of glad to get away from Yang and her teasing."

"Teasing?" Touma asked. "About what?"

"Nothing." Blake didn't elaborate and silence fell over them again. Touma took the opportunity to admire the landscaping. It kind of reminded him of the rich schools back home, the ones he would never be able to attend normally. Thinking about it, training Hunters and Huntresses to fight Grimm was probably one of the kingdom's top priorities. They continued down the path and Touma realized something.

"Umm, Blake?"

"Hmm?"

"Aren't we going kind of far away from the school?" he asked nervously.

"Remember when I said I had something important to ask of you?" Blake asked in return.

"Yes…"

"I don't want to be overheard." Touma didn't really know how to reply to this so he remained quiet until they reached a single tree away from the main building. They were far enough away no one would accidently approach them and the area around them was clear of obstacles so no one could sneak up on them. Blake turned and looked at the forest in the distance for a moment and sighed.

"If this thing you want to ask is too difficult," Touma told her nervously. "You don't have to ask now. I can listen to your request anytime." He wasn't sure what she was going ask, but part of him had an inkling of what it could be. _It can't be that though._

"No," Blake said firmly. "It had to be now." She turned him. "Before that, I want to say thank you."

"Thank you? Shouldn't I be thanking you for the tour?" Blake rolled her eyes.

"I meant for helping me," she elaborated. "Back outside Vale when I was surrounded by Grimm. You rushed in to protect me… even after I threatened you." She averted her eyes at this. "I' am sorry about that."

"I understand," Touma told her and waved his hand dismissively. "You were in a situation surrounded by people on the opposite side of you and you did what it took to escape. You even told me you wanted to get us both out alive."

"Still," Blake pressed. "I would have understood completely if you had left me to the Grimm."

"No!" Touma declared firmly. Blake blinked in surprise and tilted her head.

"No?"

"I could never leave someone to die when I had the power to help them," Touma told her. "I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I just watched you get eaten." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "It was also kind of my fault you got captured in the first place." _If I hadn't been checking you out or touched you with my hand, you would never have been caught._ Blake nodded, keeping her face passive, even if she knew what he was referring to.

"You also gave me the opportunity to free myself," Blake pointed out. "So how about we call that even." Touma nodded, relieved. "You convinced Neo to spare me on the train."

"I couldn't let her become a murderer," Touma answered and Blake frowned.

"You do understand she has probably killed many people under Torchwick's order in the past," Blake said flatly.

"I want to give her the benefit of the doubt," Touma admitted. "But after the train incident, I think she might have." His face darkened and he glanced at the ground. "There has to be a way to help her."

"Why?" Blake asked sternly.

"Why is there a way to help her?" Touma asked, confused.

"Why are you willing to help her at all?" Blake asked incredulously. "They manipulated you, took your trust and threw it in the trash, and caused Grimm to flood into Vale. Someone of her skill would not have played a small part in any of that."

"I know," Touma agreed solemnly. "The things she has done… were no doubt terrible." He looked Blake directly in the eyes. "But that doesn't mean I have to give up on her. I've seen the good in her when Roman wasn't around, she even spared your life." Blake silently conceded that point. It would have been easier for Neo to kill her. "I refuse to believe anyone is inherently bad, Blake. Given a second chance, many people stuck in a position like hers would want to change. If there's something I can do to give her, or anyone, that chance, I will." He turned and glanced at the forest. "Sorry," he apologized. "I've dealt with a lot of people who get lost in the means, they forget what they are really fighting for. Some of my…friends were like that." Blake assumed he was talking about Accelerator. The pause was probably because Accelerator would deny that title.

"I… can understand that," Blake admitted slowly.

"You can?" She detected the hopefulness in his voice.

"You probably could tell I was once a member of the White Fang," Blake said softly and Touma nodded.

"You left," he pointed out obviously and Blake had to resist rolling her eyes.

"I did," she confirmed.

"Can… can I ask why?" Touma asked hesitantly. "If it's really personal, you don't have-…"

"No," Blake interrupted. "It's fine. I told my team about it under… much different circumstances then now." She took a deep breath. "I was a member for most of my life. You could say I was born into it. Back then, things were much different than they are today. Humanity thought of us as lesser beings and the White Fang was our collective voice of the Faunus. As a child, I participated in as many boycotts and protests as I could and I thought I was making a difference… but I was young and naïve. About five years ago, our leader stepped down and a new one took over. Everything changed then. The White Fang started using violent attacks instead of protests, burning down shops that wouldn't serve us…." Blake diverted her eyes and glanced back at the forest.

"Blake… are you okay?" Touma asked and reached a hand towards.

"The worst part," Blake continued and Touma's hand fell back down to his side. "It was working. People started to treat us like equals… but it was out of fear, not respect."

"And being forced to do something out of fear never work in the long run, right?" Touma prodded and Blake nodded.

"You seem to understand," Blake commented. "Did you hear stories about it during your time with them?"

"A few," Touma admitted. "But that's not why." He scratched the side of his cheek. "I told Ruby this back in Mt. Glenn, but it seems she hasn't had a chance to tell you about it." Blake shook her head once. "Back in my world, the city I'm in ranks everyone's ability by levels, 5 being the strongest, while 0 being the weakest."

"Last Order did tell us that," Blake confirmed.

"Well I'm considered a level 0," Touma continued and Blake cocked her head slightly in surprise. "My hand isn't considered a scientific ability, so it can't be measured." He sighed. "There are a few people who won't believe me no matter how many times I tell them and think I'm making fun of them or something."

"Or something," Blake repeated amused.

"Very funny." Touma sighed. "The thing is, the city does tend to treat higher levels better than lower levels, mostly because the higher levels supply greater research materials. Their schools tend to be better and they get a bigger stipend. I also have heard others complain about special treatments higher levels get."

"I think I can see that," Blake said. _Accelerator's attitude would reinforce Touma's words. I doubt very many people tell him no._ "Doesn't that make you angry?"

"I would be lying if I never said it did," Touma revealed. "There were times it really upset me to see higher levels picking on lower levels." He made a fist. "The thing is, everyone is different and the level of your ability is only one part of someone. I've seen level 5s be close friends with level 0s too. Everyone does their best to do what's right and live their life. There's no reason to mock someone for doing their best with what they have. We are in this world together, so it would be better to work with each other, not against." He looked at Blake. "Didn't you leave the White Fang for a similar reason?"

Blake's eyes widened in shock at his insight. "Yes," she admitted. "I couldn't handle the violence and refused to use my skills to perpetuate it. Then I became a Huntress in training in order to help people." She tilted her head again. "How did you know?"

"Because I could tell you weren't a bad person," Touma answered instantly with a grin. "Being in a world full of these Grimm, I can understand people being high strung and have a quick trigger finger, yet you still took the opportunity to warn me about Roman instead of trying to trick me into letting you go. That told me volumes about you." His grin became a little awkward and he scratched his cheek again. "Plus I don't think anyone Ruby speaks highly of could be a bad person."

"What did she say about me?" Blake asked curiously.

"Mostly that we said similar things," Touma answered casually. "I told her about an organization back home that is kind of similar to the White Fang. It's called Skill-Out and it's made up of level 0s. The group was originally created to protect them from higher levels, but they changed too. They started attacking higher levels to prove a point, which only decreased their message while it increased hostility and resentment." He shook his head and Blake stared at him while trying to keep her face passive.

"Fear is only a temporary solution, right?"

"Yeah."

"I have to ask," Blake said. "What would you do to change things?"

"Change things?" He looked up at the sky and put his hands behind is head. "I don't think there's a good way to go about it. You can't force people to change. It's just… trying to keep moving forward and be a good person…"

"…in hopes others follow your example," Blake continued.

"Yes, exactly!"

They stood their awkwardly, glad that the other saw things the same way, but it was a little embarrassing. Touma couldn't make eye contact and Blake was observing him closely out of the corner of his eye.

 _He really doesn't seem like he can lie,_ Blake thought to herself. _He seems way too honest to be trying to deceive me._ "There is one thing I need to ask you, though I may not be in a position to do so."

"No, no," Touma said quickly. "Ask me anything. If it's in my power to help, I'll do it."

"Can you keep the fact I'm a Faunus and originally part of the White Fang a secret?" Blake asked.

"A secret?" Touma repeated, not sure how to respond. _Oh, that's what she wanted to ask me in private. I thought she might have wanted to con… and I deluded myself. There's no way an attractive girl like her would be into me like that._ "I mean… yeah, of course. I can understand the fact you're a former member, but why hide that you are a Faunus."

"Because," Blake explained. "While Vale may have made great progress in equality, there are many who still look down on Faunus, even in Beacon." Her mind flashed angrily toward Cardin and his team for a moment. "Keeping my ears hidden prevents initial judgment about me by those people." She pointed to her bow and wiggled her ears so that the bow moved.

"A bow?" Touma asked, but it appeared to be speaking his thoughts out loud. Blake's eyebrows narrowed for a moment.

"Did you not notice my ears were covered?" Blake asked and raised an eyebrow.

"I'm… not the best at noticing these kinds of things," Touma answered sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "I just remembered your face and Ruby told me your name." Blake blinked.

"Last Order told us Faunus do not exist in your world," Blake prodded. "Do you not find animal parts unnatural?"

"I'm not going to deny I wasn't curious at first," Touma admitted. "But after spending all that time surrounded by Faunus, they really are no different than anyone else. They are all different and had their own dreams and desires. I rather judge everyone on an individual basis." Touma shrugged. "It's like hair to me now. I notice it at first glance, but then it doesn't have an impact. Besides," he held up his right hand. "There is no way it could be unnatural or my hand would cause them to disappear if I touched you. Besides, they are pretty cute, so that would be a shame."

 _This guy…_ Blake thought in disbelief. _Just sees Faunus as people. Why can't more people like you live on Remnant?_ "Wait… what was that last thing."

"They are… cu…te…" Touma's eyes went wide and he covered his head. "Sorry, I said something I shouldn't have."

"Why are you acting like I'm going to hit you?" Blake asked, trying not to show any sign his words affected her. She could feel her cheeks beginning to burn.

"You aren't?" Touma peeked under his arm and then slowly lowered it when he didn't any sign Blake was going to strike him.

 _What kind of environment did he come from?_ Blake thought bewildered. "Why would I hit you because of a compliment?"

"It's… nothing, forget it."

"Okay." Blake wasn't going to press the subject, as it wasn't really her business. She understood the importance of not prying too far into someone's person life, especially if they just met.

"So sorry about not noticing the bow," Touma apologized, eager to change the subject in case Blake changed her mind. "To me, you're just Blake, a girl I know… kind of. This is the first time I really learned anything about you." He chuckled weakly. "Hopefully, we don't keep seeing each other under the same circumstances."

"No," Blake said and shook her head briefly. "Now that you are at Beacon, I trust we will see each other more often without the threat of Torchwick or the White Fang." She stared, unblinkingly at Touma, who started to get a little uncomfortable. "When I came here, I decided I wanted people to judge me, good or bad, on who I am, not what I am. Thank you for doing so." Touma was exactly the kind of person she wanted to meet at Beacon. Someone who saw Blake, not Blake the Faunus. He reminded her of Ruby in that way. They weren't the type to judge people based on outward appearances.

"It's not really a big deal," Touma dismissed.

"Many would disagree," Blake replied, but decided to let the matter drop. There would be time to talk later and this was the most she had talked at once in ages. It had to be done and she was secretly glad she did it. She checked the time on her scroll and frowned. "We should head back. I have no doubt the others will be wondering where we are."

"Others?" Touma asked. "Oh, you mean your team?"

"I'm part of Team RWBY," Blake explained. "And Team JNPR are our close friends. Accelerator has been bunking with them, while Weiss has been rather protective of Last Order." Touma chuckled at this and then raised an eyebrow.

"Is Ruby part of Team RWBY?" he asked.

"She's the leader," Blake answered and the corner of her mouth twitched.

"Did Ozpin do that on…?"

"Probably." The two of them walked back to the dorms in mostly silence. Blake had said everything she wanted to say and reverted back to answering any questions Touma had in her usually manner. It wasn't to be rude, she just had other things on her mind. Everything that _had_ to be said already had been said. For now, it was best to let Touma get settled in and not overload him with new information. Things had changed drastically and he most likely needed time to adjust. Her dorm room eventually came into sight when she realized the danger.

 _Yang!_

Blake had no doubt Yang was waiting to mercilessly tease her when they entered. She needed time to diffuse the situation before Touma met them. Touma had met Ruby, so he probably wouldn't be turned off by her excitable nature, and Weiss could act professional. The thing was, Blake wasn't sure how he would react to Yang's teasing. There was a chance it could alienate him from her if he wasn't comfortable with it. He didn't seem like the kind of person who could hold back his embarrassment. In fact, she witnessed him getting embarrassed over little things. Blake decided to spare him.

The embarrassment she would receive was not factored into her decision.

Not at all.

"Actually," Blake said suddenly to Touma. "Why don't you go to Team JNPR's room? Accelerator and Last Order should be there. I need to talk with my teammates real fast privately."

"Okay," Touma replied, not a single trace of suspicion. Instead of turning to her dorm, Blake turned to JNPR's. She knocked and they only had to wait a few seconds when the door was opened. Jaune stood there, looking a little tired. He opened his mouth to say hi when he saw Touma.

"It's you!"

Jaune and Touma pointed at each other and repeated the same words.

"Who is it?" Pyrrha called out.

"It's Blake and Touma," Jaune answered, at his words, two figures instantly appeared behind him.

"Welcome, Savior! MISAKA says excitedly as MISAKA pulls you into the room." She had grabbed his sleeve and did exactly what she said. Touma could have resisted this, if the other person hadn't been Nora.

"Ren!" she called out happily. "The guy's here!. I want to see his power in action! You should totally make pancakes to celebrate this occasion." She turned to Touma and grabbed his left arm. "Hi, I'm Nora Valkyrie and I have sooo many questions. Come on in!" This wasn't a request and she pulled him in passed Jaune. Blake raised an eyebrow at Jaune.

"He'll be fine," Jaune reassured her and glanced over his shoulder. "Ren has it under control." He turned and gulped. "I think. Pyrrha, help out!"

"On it! Nora, stop! He doesn't have Aura!"

"Dodge, MISAKA advises as MISAKA remembers the power of Nora's hugs."

"Just… make sure he's in one piece before I introduce him to my team," Blake sighed. "Is Accelerator not in there?"

"He left a few moments ago," Jaune answered. "He had to see someone." He shrugged. "No idea who, but he doesn't give a lot of details."

"True." Blake turned back to her dorm. "I'm going to check on my team and see if they are awake."

"Come on over anytime," Jaune said and shut the door to reduce the noise traveling into the hallway. Blake walked over to her room and sighed. She swiped her scroll and stepped in, shutting the door instantly behind her. This turned out to be a good idea.

"Blake!" Yang welcomed. "Where is your new boy toy?!"

 _Yep. It was a good idea to drop him off first._

* * *

"Do you have the results?" Accelerator half asked, half demanded. The instant the doctor, a fox ears Faunus with brown hair named Tsune, walked into his room. She was carrying a clipboard and looking at it intently.

"Your lab results have just finished," Tsune reported. "I have to say, this is pretty unusual, even though Ozpin informed me about your situation." She flipped the page. "You said you had a dizzy spell and using your Semblance… well ability as you called it, causes fatigue?"

"Yes," Accelerator answered curtly.

"Anything else?" Tsune asked and clicked a pen. "Lack of appetite, rashes, skin discoloration… weird _urges_?" The way she emphasized the last word gave Accelerator a slight pause.

"What is with all these stupid questions," Accelerator snapped. "Are you going to tell me or what?"

"As you are the first person from another world I have examined," Tsune answered calmly. "I have no idea how different your physiology is than ours. It's why I need to know these things." She flipped through her notes. "Your body chemistry is virtually identical to ours, except…" She looked up at him closely. "Your body seems to have an imbalance of different chemicals. This isn't unheard of per se, but I need to know if you have any information about this."

"Tsk." Accelerator clicked his tongue. "My ability blocks a lot of outside forces from reaching me, like ultraviolet light. Thus my body doesn't need to produce melanin. It also affected my hormone development to the point I have this somewhat androgynous appearance."

"That explains it," Tsune muttered and made several more notes on her clipboard.

"Explains what?"

"I have a theory about your current predicament," Tsune explained. "But there is a strong possibility you will not like it."

"We are both going to not like you not telling me a lot more," Accelerator growled.

"Okay," Tsune sighed. "You probably aren't familiar with how dust works-…"

"I studied a basic textbook," Accelerator interrupted. "So I have a general overview, even if I can't efficiently use it due to not having an unlocked Aura."

"Oh." Tsune's eyes widened in surprise briefly. "Well, that saves me some explanation." She grinned at him, but he only stared back at her resolutely. "Dust healing isn't the most precise application. When the dust is applied to an injured area, it spreads out to the damaged tissue and the surrounding ones. The damaged in your brain seemed to be an old wound and how you were able to even stand with that was nothing sort of a miracle."

"There was a reason I could," Accelerator said curtly. He didn't elaborate. "But I couldn't use it in this world once whatever gate that transported us here closed."

"When we treated you," Tsune continued. "We did not know that. What we saw was an individual with severe brain damage, so that is what we treated. The x-ray indicated the tissue was as close to normal as we could get."

"Yeah," Accelerator replied. "The fact I can walk shows your dust science is capable." He glared at her. "That still doesn't explain why my body feels different."

"That is because the dust dispersed to your entire brain and then into your bloodstream," Tsune explained. "Based on your body's chemistry, your pituitary gland has been unusually active. The pituitary gland-…"

"Controls most of the body's hormones," Accelerator interrupted. "I'm not an idiot." He blinked. "So it's producing an unusual amount of hormones since you healed me? And my body is rejecting them?"

"Not quite," Tsune corrected him. "The gland is producing the normal amount for a person of your size, which I guess would be an unusual amount to you."

"What does that mean in the long run?" Accelerator asked. "Can you return it back to normal?"

"The thing is," Tsune replied. "It _is_ normal now. Your brain, glands, and other organs are working exactly how they should be. The rest of your body is adapting to the different levels of these hormones." Accelerator's eyes widened slightly as he processed this. "As for why your ability affects your body different, I can't offer a reason yet. I don't understand how your power operates without Aura, though I would love to examine it when you find yourself with some free time."

"Somehow your dust is causing my ability to cause physical fatigue," Accelerator mumbled, his hand under his chin in thought. "That could be problematic. Other than that, at least the calculations still function normally for the most part, though I'm still not at one hundred percent." He paused when he heard Tsune scribing down his words. "That doesn't concern you," he snapped.

"On the contrary," Tsune retorted. "As your doctor here, I need to know the effects of dust on you. In case you get injured again, I want to make sure I can treat you optimally. You wouldn't want me to accidentally make your condition worse. Besides, everything here is confidential."

 _Bullshit,_ Accelerator thought. _Ozpin is spying on everything I do. There's no doubt of that._ "I suppose," he told Tsune. "At least you aren't a quack."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Tsune commented mildly. "You're free to go, unless you have any more questions. Just be careful not to get too involved with your urges. Things can get rather uncomfortable for someone your age when your hormones run wild." Accelerator had stood up to leave when Tsune's words caused him to freeze.

"Explain those words," Accelerator ordered. "Now!"

"Your body is used to extremely low hormonal levels," Tsune explained and the corners of her mouth twitched upwards. "With the sudden change, there is bound to be some discomfort." Her smiled widened and she pointed downwards. "Especially down there for a healthy young boy."

"You bitch…!"

"I doubt you experienced it due to your ability keeping these levels," Tsune continued, unabashed. "Now that your body is reverting back to normal levels, think of it as experiencing a late puberty."

"FUCK YOU!"

"Looks like the hormones are talking already."

* * *

The land itself was plagued with corruption.

Wellen did not enjoy the flight on the back of the large bird Grimm. The forests and fields they flew over had darkened. Red mist obscured the landscape, dark purple crystals littered the grounds and the rivers seemed to be made of black sludge. The air was thick with decay and endless Grimm roamed the area. Then, in the distance, a castle began to emerge. It was a large purple and red gothic style designed building, but Wellen grew cold looking at it. His very body was warning him about something inside.

 _It seems like I must indeed trespass into hell to fulfill my desires._

The Grimm Wellen was riding on landed at last and he jumped off. The large gate started to groan as it opened the moment his feet touched the ground. Wellen was on guard, expecting some kind of monster to emerge, but was surprised when a tall, slim, slightly tanned, middle-aged man stepped out. He also had short black and gray hair, a mustache, and green eyes. His clothes were very formal, consisting of a gray overcoat with yellow linings, a yellow dress shirt and a black necktie. His pants were the same color as his overcoat. His yellow-buttoned undercoat and fingerless gloves matched his cordovan shoes. When his eyes fell on Wellen, he gave a short bow.

"Good evening, Wellen Fischer," the man greeted him. "My name is Arthur Watts and I'm to escort your to my mistress, Salem." Wellen nodded and stepped up to meet him.

"Well met, Arthur," Wellen said and gave a very short bow.

"I am pleased to see someone with manners," Arthur complimented, as he turned to lead Wellen in. "Some of my other acquaintances are a little higher strung." He led Wellen through the large hallways and he noticed the odd décor. Crystals and purple statues of things he did not know lined the walls. "I heard you have an interesting power. Water that could control Grimm, fascinating."

"You heard about that, did you?"

"My mistress was most interested in it," Arthur replied. "And I would be lying if I said I wasn't. Perhaps if there is time, we could discuss it."

"Perhaps," Wellen said. _He seems like he might appreciate my work, but I rather talk to this Salem first._ They reached a pair of ornate doors and stopped. Arthur opened them and gestured for Wellen to go in first. He obliged and took a single step in before he froze. He had entered a wide opened room with lots of red tinted windows. A bone like chandelier with glowing purple crystals hung over a purple table. Six white chairs were positioned on either side that seemed to be made of material similar to the Grimm masks. The farthest chair was made of purple crystal and was occupied by a woman.

Wellen used the term woman very loosely.

Her figure was the only similarity between the person sitting on the crystal chair and a female. Her skin was a deathly pallor, covered with deep red and purple veins that ran up her arms and face. The scleras of her eyes were jet black and her irises glow red. She had a black diamond-shaped marking in the center of her forehead. She wore a very long black robe with red designs resembling eyes. She also had a ring resembling an insect on her right index finger. Her white hair formed a bun with six offshoots from which ornaments were suspended. None of that bothered Wellen as much as her presence. She seemed to dominate the room and every warning alarm in his body told him to flee.

"Welcome, Wellen Fischer," the woman greeted him. Her voice was confident and betrayed no ill intentions. This didn't mean he would let his guard down. "I have wanted to meet you ever since you dominated my children."

"Children?" Wellen asked. "You mean those Grimm things?"

"Yes." Wellen found that single word sent a shiver down his spine. "Doctor, you have fulfilled your duty admirably. You may leave."

"As you command." Arthur turned and left, closing the door behind him. Wellen wanted to ask him to say, but the words were caught in his throat. The woman turned back to Wellen.

"I am Salem," she introduced herself. "I am glad to see you escaped from those two uninjured."

"Your assistance was greatly appreciated," Wellen said dryly. "But I can tell you didn't help me out of just kindness."

"Very astute," Salem commented and grinned slightly. "You are not unintelligent, that will save time. You see, when you took over my children, I was in two minds. Furious someone would dare to try such a thing and curiosity on how they were able to achieve such a feat." Her eyes bore into him and he could swear she was staring into his very core. "You are not from here." That was not a question.

"No," Wellen answered. "I'm from another world. An experiment went awry do to outside interference. The resulting backlash sent me into your world."

"This explains much," Salem mused. "Tell me, how did you achieve this feat of possessing them? This isn't a type of power seen on Remnant."

"So your world doesn't use magic?" Wellen asked. "That one woman who attacked me used a portal."

"Magic is rare and most believe it to be simply fairy tales," Salem answered. "Aura and dust are humanities' strongest defense against me, and even they can be defeated. Magic… you interest me more. Are you unique or does your world let anyone use magic?"

"I'll keep that knowledge to myself for now," Wellen answered boldly. "Until I know I can trust you."

"I did save you," Salem pointed out. "And warned you about the fact your connection to my children was corrupting you." Wellen gave a curt nod, but did not answer. "That is understandable though. Being thrown into a new world, no friends, no allies, just you and what you can see."

"The reason I am hesitant," Wellen continued. "Is while I haven't got a full picture of the world's ley lines, the ones I glimpse are corrupt and dying." He waved a hand to gesture out the windows. "And they seem to be heading back you."

"Fascinating," Salem said and Wellen shivered again. Her look was of a predator examining a piece of meat. Every fiber in his body told him he didn't want to make this woman angry. She would be a powerful and deadly enemy. "Of course, I would not expect someone to work for nothing. If you help me, I will of course use my considerable power to assist in your endeavor. What is it that you wish?"

"I wish to return to my world," Wellen answered. "While I could probably continue my experiment here on… Remnant, you said? It took fifteen years of research. Everything will be different here and I doubt I could do it in the same time frame."

"I can assist you in finding a solution," Salem replied. "You are not the first individual who trespassed into this world and there is certainty you will not be the last."

"Someone else did?" Wellen asked in shock.

"Someone many years ago," Salem answered. "A genius of sorts, someone who didn't divide things into good and evil. He was only in pursuit of knowledge. Return to your world is possible."

"I see," Wellen said and rubbed his chin. "Then it seems I have a reason to work with you."

"Excellent," Salem replied. "Now, as a small favor for our new found partnership. Do you know if the force that brought you to this world would have brought any others?"

"I suppose," Wellen confirmed after a few seconds of thought. "The two boys who interrupted my experiment could have been caught in the severance of the veil. Then the girl I was using as the core of my spell could also have arrived. If she is still alive, I need her unharmed." Salem nodded.

"Granted," Salem answered immediately. "I will need descriptions of all three of them, because I believe it has something to do with a new presence that has arrived."

"Presence?" Wellen asked.

"I have been informed a great demon has appeared, disguised as a human child." The air grew cold as her eyes bore into him.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **Current Ship Names:**

 **Touma and Yang: Fistbump / Punchline/ Imagine Dragon/ Love at First Punch/ Hair You Go Again**

 **Touma and Weiss: Cool to the Touch / Princess and the Pauper / Shattered Mirror**

 **Touma and Ruby: Blossoming / Thorny Rose / Speedy Rescue / Innocently Indecent/ Nectar of the Gods.**

 **Touma and Blake: Nine Lives / Bad Luck / Kami-Nyaan / Equality**

 **Touma and Velvet: Bunny Couple / Rabbit's Foot/ Lucky Number Zero/ Camera Shy**

 **Touma and Penny: Android's Dream / Faulty Electronics/ Lost Change**

 **Touma and Ren: Lotus Fist**

 **Touma and Jaune: Better Luck Next Time/ Lifesavers**

 **Touma and Nora: Glutton for Punishment / Divine Sparks**

 **Touma and Pyrrha: Babe Magnet/ Dense Armaments**

 **Touma and Coco: Black Coffee/ Stylish Illusion**

 **Touma and Fox: Eye-Caramba**

 **Touma and Glynda: Teacher's Pet / Promise Lands/ Dunce Cap**

 **Touma and Adam: Chronic Crusaders/ Prick and the Pauper**

 **Touma and Emerald: Shattered Illusions / Illusion Breaker / Portmanteau Poverty**

 **Touma and Twins: Triple Threat / Cerberus**

 **Touma and Cinder: Through the Fire and Flame / Fire Demons / Sinner and Savior/ A Match Made In Hellfire**

 **Touma and Neo: Uncertain Flavor / Breaking Reality/ Stockholm Slasher Romance**

 **Touma and Roman: Corruption of the Innocent**

 **Touma and Salem: Burning Witch / Light and Shadow / Shattering Darkness/ Grimm Chances of Survival**

 **Touma and Summer: Summer Break.**

 **Touma and Raven: Alpha and Omega/ Feather for Brains**

 **Touma and Qrow: Misfortune Squared / Bad luck Charms / Misfortunate Misfits**

 **Acvelerator and Weiss: Cold and Calculating / Ice Vector / A Frosty Reception**

 **Accelerator and Yang: Road Rage / Short Fuse / Way of the Dragon/ War of the Red Eyes / Push Button to Die**

 **Accelerator and Ruby: One-Way Rose / No Brakes / Rose Manipulation**

 **Accelerator and Blake: Twilight Arrow / Chain and Sickly / Chasing Shadows**

 **Accelerator and Nora: Shattered Bones / Broken Dreams / Nerve Impulse/ Going the Distance**

 **Accelerator and Velvet: White Flash / Hopping Mad / Unsuspecting Prey**

 **Accelerator and Glynda: Fix and Destroy**

 **Accelerator and Penny: String Theory/ Broken Toys**

 **Accelerator and Sun: Sunny and Sullen**

 **Accelerator and Adam: Charging Bull/ Rabid Animals**

 **Accelerator and Mercury: Killer Moves**

 **Accelerator and Emerald: Red Eyed Killers/ After Image**

 **Accelerator and Coco: Fashionable Disaster/ Fashion is a Science**

 **Accelerator and Pyrrha: Opposites Attract/ Copper Aftertaste**

 **Accelerator and Raven: Yang's Nightmare/ Fallen Feathers**


	19. Friend or Foe?

**At last, nineteen chapters and Touma is finally back on the good side and has the opportunity to meet everyone. This chapter took a little longer in the slice of life category, so I took the opportunity to have some fun with it. Putting both teams, Touma, Last Order, and Accelerator in one room certainly takes its toll. I'm going to break them up as much as possible. Speaking of Accelerator, people seem to enjoy the information about him last chapter. Poor Beacon, doomed to be turned into a pile of rubble at some point. And of course, we need to find out what happened to Neo. Regardless of what she does, it's sure to cause fireworks for someone. So many options on where I could take this story now. There are a few canon events I plan to cover, but for the most part, it's going to be new adventures.**

 **Thanks to SilverFang88 for reviewing. All mistakes found are his fault.**

 **The Rupture: Hmm, Demon could mean many things. You will have to wait and see. Yes, Accelerator going through a late and quickened puberty will be funny.**

 **98kazer: Ship names are half the fun of this crossover.**

 **dickythamrin077: Well, the girls in RWBY are a lot more open about their intentions, at least some of them are. If Yang wanted to date Touma, she would just walk up to him, grab him, and pull him somewhere private to demand he goes out with her. You don't say no to Yang.**

 **Guest: Yes. I can tell you puberty is important and he needs to experience it. I'm sure he won't destroy too much. Last Order is the bridge between the groups, but now that Touma is arrived, I'm going to try to send her on her own adventures. She and Nora should be able to do fun stuff. Accelerator will never let Worst find out about puberty if he can. Eh, Yang has crashed through the school ceiling before, no big deal.**

 **Ahsoei: That does seem likely.**

 **MythAnime: I never saw the princess and the frog, so I can't confirm if they are similar. The reason you probably don't like him is he hasn't shown up enough for you to know about him. Once he shows up more, there will be more information to make a judgment.**

 **alanw6616: Ah, I knew I took that name from somewhere and could not remember. I always thought the fox Faunus nurse was just a standard fan idea. But yeah, I got Tsune from Forged Destiny, so I'm giving credit to Coeur for that. Not sure how many times she's going to show up, but with Touma around, it's almost guaranteed she will return.**

 **Guest: It was originally just a joke on discord, but then I thought about it and things sort of fell into place.**

 **Purrple Cate: Yang and Coco will tease him yeah, but if he doesn't tell them, they will probably just figure he's a teenage boy. Nah, Honey Moon phase is finishing up before we get back to classes, sinister plot, and Grimm slaying. Neo will appear here because she's just so much fun to write. I have a couple ideas on what I want to happen back in AC, but nothing is solidified. I won't need to use them for a while, so I have time to really plan it out. The first hint will be from one person who truly understands the situation.**

 **Dark Tyrant-Fool: Oh, yes. Return of Neo.**

 **G119: Thanks. I try to keep updates coming, but RL always takes priority.**

 **Neema Amiry: He's a big part of this chapter.**

 **Guest: IT'S HAPPENING!**

 **shiroryuu012: Luckily, we have very assertive girls who can help him with that problem.**

 **Guesy: Huh, you were the first Accelerator x Neo name. It was added.**

 **ResidueWisdom: Rest in peace, Remnant.**

 **Guest: Random outbursts like normal people have and getting pissed at himself for doing it. It's the little things.**

 **aashiq nageem** **.2013: I knew you were reading, so I updated.**

 **Bluejack222: Salem plus magic from the Index universe. What could possibly go wrong?**

 **Accelerator7460: This story is very popular, so I definitely plan to keep moving forward. Blake's kind of reserve and has trust issues. That's why I could not have her jump on him immediately. There is no resistance to Kami-Yan disease.**

 **Salishious: That seems like a very good guess, as he is one of the few people who could reasonably achieve that. I have a plan for Touma vs Cardin, but you have to remember Touma does not have Aura. If they spar in class, he can't use a scroll to show his aura levels. Glynda would not normally be able to have a sparring match where one hit could kill a student. Neo… and conversation?**

 **WriterAdam: Ah, maybe I read your comment and thought of something else. Yeah, he lost all his memories and is still unable to remember her. There is the possibility of a couple people visiting Remnant to retrieve them, but nothing cemented yet. All of those ideas sound great and I wish I could implement them. Othinus and Zwei will team up against the true evil, Sphinx. Don't think Accelerator can get a harem, but having a triangle wouldn't be bad. Have someone like him but he is unwillingly attracted to someone else. Those situations always make fun moments. Heh, Last Order wants him to make friends with all the new people. Going beyond though is a no-no.**

 **ToAnon: No bad luck? Let's see, falling into another world, being tricked by Roman, teased by Neo, used by the White Fang, and crashed into Vale on a train. No bad luck… pssh. Normal bad luck school stuff will happen though. Heh, you mentioned Last Order and Penny and all the gears started moving.**

 **JumpingToaster: I was planning for them to be different. That way, I could have an extended time in Remnant, but limited in the Index universe.**

 **Moongaze14: Yang won't stop teasing anytime soon. She has Blake now. I had actually forgotten where I heard Tsune, but I figured it was from Forged Destiny when someone else mentioned it. She was the priest. Might have to check out Professor Arc again. Western Culture vs Eastern culture is quite different. A lot of people wanted Blake to throw herself at Touma immediately, but she's not that kind of person. Things have to be taken slowly for her. You are the first one who actually seems to like my villain. His purpose was mainly to introduce Salem's forces to magic. I'll have to take a look at Tsune more in details before I can promise anything. Touma will be sure to end up with her at some point.**

 **Inacio: Exactly right.**

 **Prof. Pancakes: It was something mentioned as a joke in discord and I just kind of rolled with it.**

 **RedBurningDragon: Fine, I'll let you in on a secret. It was probably him.**

 **Guest: Would be kind of difficult. He would have to control the chemical process of all his glands constantly. If he didn't allow any, he would die because he does need some, and if he allows too much, it could be toxic. Also, because he weakened a bit, he can't use it while sleeping. Constant changing of levels can be harmful.**

 **xhope14x: Thanks a lot.**

 **A certain guest: A lot of people I chat with kind of agree Touma shouldn't be given a lot of special abilities or power. What makes him interesting is using what he has to win by being creative or using battle experience against people who rely on OP power. If he does get a power or Item, it has to be carefully balanced. I've been debating if he should be given some kind of weapon, probably pushed by Ruby, but his nature wouldn't like one. A shield or armguard might be more his style. When push comes to shove, Touma will use anything at his disposal to save people. When fighting the High Priest, it wasn't so much to save, but as just a fight because he wouldn't do exactly what the High Priest wanted. I'm going to copy and paste that line of yours at some point for Accelerator to say. When Accelerator finally mentions his past, probably to get Weiss to leave him alone, things are going to be tense, no doubt about that. The scene isn't fully planned out yet because I want to do it justice. In terms of character, RWBY universe is a lot closer to our morals than Index. I like the broken reply button and it has been added. The reason I don't use triple ship names is the sheer number of them will get ridiculous.**

 **Fortitude: Eventually. I'm debating if he's going to fall for her ears and cute accent, before finding out she can kick butt. Aogami back in Academy City swears to destroy Touma when they meet again. Good times for all.**

 **Unbreakable Dark Yuri Eberwein: Othinus is only with Touma when it is inconvenient. When he needs her, his luck won't allow it. She might be one of the few near the end to help them return home. That has not been decided yet.**

 **Guest: Demon can mean many things.**

 **Maderfole: Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses when writing. ACIP has an ending is about halfway done. SV has just reached the part where I can go off on tangents from the main storyline. Views and visits aren't the best indicators for stories sadly. Every time someone switches chapters, it ups the counters, so longer stories have the advantage. I try to watch trends. I hate just saying Accelerator is a genius, so adding a few small things helps a lot. He should be able to do something with dust, even if it's just using it with mechanical equipment. I planned to have Weiss work with Accelerator on dust, since she appreciates a hard worker. Last Order may help that come to fruition. Puberty change was discussed in discord as a joke, but it just kind of came together so I wrote it down. I knew it would be a laugh and the added plot points are just a bonus. The Blake x Touma scene could only be done that way. Blake's not the kind of girl to pounce right at the beginning and Touma would run if someone tried. For now, it's just the small things like jealousy and wanting to be near him. Trying to figure out when to have Ruby mention to Yang she touched Touma's junk. That will lead to violence.**

 **LL: Hah, I would love for Itsuwa to read Blake's smut… adult literature. The correct answer is a rude gesture from Accelerator, but Touma would say something like that. She's talking about a demon, everything else is inconsequential. They might ask her about that, but then Last Order has to respond with; it's classified. No bad luck? Let's see, falling into another world, being tricked by Roman, teased by Neo, used by the White Fang, and crashed into Vale on a train. No bad luck… pssh.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: I should update this one more often, but then the anticipation for the next chapter won't grow as much. Touma… in a bed? Nonsense, unless it allows other girls to sneak into it. Arkos is best main ship, but Ruby can still have feelings for taken people. That's not an uncommon occurrence in real life. The dust in Accelerator's body would be gone now, so the touch won't do anything.**

 **Nathan Jon: Such misfortune will be used more in Beacon for sure. I'm not going to bring Sogiita Gunha into this story for many reasons. At most, there will be 2-3 from the Index world and they will be specifically chosen for their skills and relationship to Touma.**

 **Fernandamichelleraya: A lot of people have mentioned they had to watch one of the two series to get a grasp of everything. It helps a lot when you know the background. Index vs Misaka shippers are very… serious. They fight so much, even though shipping is half the fun of fanfiction. For Accelerator, Weiss could be in the top 3, no doubt. Penny, huh? I plan for her and Last Order to have some adventures and definitely not cause trouble. Nope, no trouble at all. Last Order won't realize Penny is a robot and accidentally say that out loud or something. Ruby was a serious contender for Accelerator when I first planned this story out. She's similar to Last Order and he needs someone pure in his life. The issue is his violence would push her away. Not sure if Ruby likes coffee. Your last point is a really good one though. Ruby has silver eyes. The fact she has a power and is targeted by it would resonate with Accelerator.**

 **Neo is only third for Touma? Blasphemy and slander! She might actually be into a three-way if she has those kinds of fetishes. Velvet is a good contender and someone who will be introduced to him soon. He's going to comment on her ears for sure. Blake… yeah, she's solidly first for now. They can understand each other and won't be quick to judge when they disagree on something. Touma would love to hear her purr if he gave her head pats. Heh, she does have fast enough reflexes to prevent Touma from falling down stairs.**

 **Phoenix 7.49: To be fair, I am rarely ever sober when writing fanfics. It only takes Aleister to notice for something to get done.**

 **WiliamZ0: The biggest OOC is Accelerator not letting Yang see his pants. She will never let him live it down. Poor Ruby, her first crush and it's to a guy who would never notice she liked him. Touma vs Cardin will happen. Again, with Blake and Touma's scene, this had to happen. Neither one of them will try to put the moves on the other immediately. Ah, Fox. There are so many possible routes to go with him. Accelerator will eventually stabilize. The transition until then will cause unintended situations. Magic combined with Grimm is not a good combination for humanity. Lessar, Itsuwa, and Birdway showing up? I don't think Remnant can take that.**

 **Maxxuzumaki: At some point.**

 **Jujudude: Ruby can be torn between two people. There is no law that says someone can't like two or more people at once. It's possible I add some similar things occasionally, since I've read a lot of Ruby fanfics. I did add Tsune from Al'Alran. In my defense, I thought a fox Faunus doctor was just a standard fan favorite. The name I got from Forged Destiny. I have so many ideas I would love to write. Alas, time is limited and I do have other things that are higher on my to-do list.**

 **Tecpatl: I believe Tsune was added by a popular writer in the RWBYverse and others just picked it up and ran with it.**

 **There were a lot of great comments this chapter and I really enjoyed reading them. Thank you and now it's your turn to enjoy the next chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

It had been a few days since Touma had been in a school.

Now, he was about to experience what life in Beacon was like.

Unfortunately, that meant almost being killed by an over-excited ginger haired girl with monstrous strength.

"Sorry," the girl apologized again, after the red haired girl and the black haired boy saved him. "Ren keeps telling me to watch my strength when meeting someone for the first time."

"You should always watch it," the boy, who Touma believed was Ren, corrected. "Even with Aura, there have been close calls."

"Hehe," the girl laughed and tapped her head with her fist.

"No need to apologize," reassured Touma quickly. "It was an accident and you didn't mean anything by it."

Admittedly his ribs were a little sore, but he had lived and fought through much worse.

As his eyes glanced around the room he noted that it actually looked pretty normal to him. Four beds and four desks took up most of the space followed by a TV and game system. There were two other doors that led to a bathroom and what Touma assumed was a closet.

"Thanks for having me, by the way. I never got a chance to formally introduce myself to everyone. My name is Touma Kamijou."

"We know who you are!" The ginger girl exclaimed. "Blake and Ruby told us all about you. My name is Nora Valkyrie. I hope we can be great friends!"

"Nice to meet you," Touma replied. "Sure. I could use all the friends I can get, being stuck in Remnant after all."

"Eeee!" Nora squealed and turned to Ren. "Look, Renny! I made a new friend!"

"Congratulations, Nora," Ren said passively and turned to Touma. "I hope you won't regret those words," he continued with a small smile. "Nora is very… excitable."

"I wouldn't lie about something like that," Touma replied seriously.

"Thank you. My name is Lie Ren, but everyone calls me Ren."

"We actually call most people back home by their last name," Touma laughed. "So that's pretty familiar."

"We met before at the breach," Jaune told him and Touma nodded. "Glad to have you on our side. You saved my butt against that Death Stalker."

"I just did what I could," Touma said quickly. He was partially responsible for what happened, so he didn't want to act like he was a hero or something. "I'm just glad I could do something against the Grimm."

"It really helped," Jaune reassured him. "Ah, and the last member of our team is my partner, Pyrrha Nikos."

"Hello!" Pyrrha called out brightly from her seat on her own bed. "It's nice to meet under more pleasant circumstances."

"Partner?" Touma asked confused. "Are you two dating?"

That innocent question caused a wide range of responses.

Pyrrha's face flushed a brilliant shade of crimson at his words. The corner of Ren's lips twitched and he raised a hand up to cover his mouth. Nora's eyes began to sparkle and she clamped her hands together in front of her. Her expression was a combination of excitement and anticipation. Jaune looked like a deer trapped in the headlights. It took a moment for him to splutter out a response.

"D-dating? No, no, nooooo." He took a couple breaths and steadied himself. "Partners in Beacon refer to initiation when we get paired up with someone. Then two pairs are formed into teams. Pyrrha and I are one, while Nora and Ren are the second pair. Pyrrha and I are just really good friends and I got lucky to pair up with someone like her. There are a lot of other people who I doubt I could have such a good relationship with."

Pyrrha's faced returned to a shade closer to her original color, but her smile looked a little transfixed. Nora covered her face with her hands and looked like she was stopping herself from yelling something. Ren only shrugged.

"Ah, my bad." Touma rubbed his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I'm turning into my friends back home and keep misunderstanding things."

"MISAKA thought the same thing, MISAKA says reassuringly as MISAKA remembers Ruby and Weiss's reaction. Partners can mean many things."

"Different world, different customs," Touma said to her and shrugged. She raised a hand to her cheek and looked thoughtful while everyone else laughed. After the breach, relaxing back and talking normally to others was the best medicine. "Hey, Last Order, where is Accelerator?"

"He went to see the nurse, MISAKA reports as MISAKA frowns. He wouldn't tell MISAKA the specific reason but he mentioned something about a checkup. He was healed by their dust and there may be some side effects, MISAKA hypothesizes."

"Dust is kind of strange," Touma agreed. "It's mined from the ground, but my hand still negates it."

"You can also negate dust?" Pyrrha asked in interest. "Ruby and Blake just told us it negates Aura and erases Grimm."

"My power is formally called Imagine Breaker and it's located in my right hand," Touma explained. "It's supposed to negate anything supernatural."

"Dust is supernatural?" Jaune asked Ren, who shrugged.

"His world's definition of supernatural may be different than ours." Ren replied diplomatically. "It may consider dust supernatural. We don't exactly have a reference book on the subject."

"Could we make one? MISAKA asks curiously." Ren merely shrugged.

"True," Pyrrha agreed. "We can just try to learn as much as we can and draw conclusions."

"That's what I've always done," laughed Touma. "I get dragged into a lot of stuff back home, so I've had to adapt on the fly a lot. I kind of focused on survival when I first arrived. Seriously, our world doesn't have Grimm, so when I got here, I was a _little_ freaked out."

"I would have run away screaming," Jaune agreed and the two of them shared a bonding moment.

"Fine," Ren sighed to Nora, who had been pulling his sleeve and pointing to Touma discreetly. "I'll ask." He turned to Touma. "Nora wishes for you to use your power of negation on her."

"Huh?" Touma was confused. Everyone who had touched his hand always seemed to react negatively. "I don't really mind, but can I ask why?"

"Because I heard about how weird it feels," Nora explained. "And I really want to try it."

"And I would be lying if I said I was not curious," Ren agreed.

"I also wish to try it," Pyrrha added. "New things are always worth experiencing."

"MISAKA doesn't have an Aura, MISAKA states sadly as MISAKA realizes she can't join it. But MISAKA can at least watch and enjoy your reactions." She jumped onto Jaune's bed and hopped up and down excitedly.

"If everyone else is doing it," Jaune said. "I might as well too." He gave Touma a quick look. "Assuming you are willing, of course. We aren't going to force you to show us your power."

"It's fine," Touma assured him and held up his right hand. "It's not like I can control it. As long as you are touching my right hand, your Aura will be negated until you let go."

"Wow!" Nora exclaimed enthusiastically and bounded forward. "Me first!"

With a single quick motion, she clamped her hands onto Touma's. Everyone watching saw the change in her demeanor. Her excitement turned into wide-eyed bewilderment as the sound of breaking glass went off. It looked like she wanted to jump backwards, and she might have if she hadn't known what to expect. Her posture slumped slightly, unnoticeable to anyone except Ren, who had known Nora since childhood. He couldn't detect anything from her and her head turned toward him. She reached a single hand out toward him, while keeping the other one firmly clamped to Touma's hand.

"Ren… so weak! Save me!"

"You could just let go," suggested Ren passively. Nora lowered her outstretched hand. He noticed Touma was about to pull his hand back, worried he had hurt her. Ren gave the newcomer a slight nod of his head to indicate things were fine and turned back to Nora. Nora scrunched her face up in concentration and then shook her head.

"I can't, Renny," She declared. "You have to save me with your ninja skills."

"We shall leave it up to you, ninja," Jaune said with a smirk and Ren rolled his eyes. Pyrrha covered her mouth with her hand as she giggled.

Ren walked up and separated Nora from Touma. During this exchange, his hand touched Touma's.

He realized why Nora acted strange, strange for her at least. Sure, if he hadn't known about losing his Aura, the natural response would be to retreat. From feeling the power firsthand, he realized those with larger Aura capacities would find the sudden change much more shocking. Ren has never been the strongest person around. The sudden loss of Aura was jarring, but he could still remain calm about it. An adult Hunter or Huntress would have a much different reaction.

Or someone with a larger than average Aura reserve…

"Jaune," Ren stated calmly. "I would recommend steeling yourself before you try this. I see why Blake and Ruby had a hard time putting this into words."

* * *

"Why are you on my bed?" Blake asked Yang, avoiding her question.

"Mine flew away," Yang replied, as she bounded to her feet. It seemed the rest did her good and she was full of energy. Yang threw her arm over Blake's shoulders and there was a huge grin on her face. "But don't change the subject. What happened to him?"

"I brought him to Team JNPR's room," Blake stated evenly, refusing to give Yang any sort of information that could be used against her. "I figured he would want to meet up with his friends before being mobbed by all of us."

"That was considerate of you," Weiss complimented. "Yang would have given him the third degree if you brought him here."

"I would not," Yang denied.

"Suuuuure," Ruby called down from her bed mockingly. "So Blake, you've been gone for ages."

"Beacon is a large campus," Blake stated, after she pushed Yang's arm off her. She walked over to her bed, kicked off her shoes and sat down. The relief of finally being off her feet felt great. "And I had to ask him a couple things away from prying eyes."

She immediately regretted her poor choice of words when Yang's eyes began to sparkle. Yang threw herself to the foot of Blake's bed and stared at her with glee.

"So you _did_ sink your claws into him!" Yang cheered. "Did he accept your declaration of love!?" Blake glared at her. The others were more vocal.

"I told you Blake wouldn't do that!" Ruby whined.

"Must you be so vulgar?" Weiss sighed in exasperation. "Blake, I assumed you talked to him about something important? Would you care to share it with us? If nothing else, it will appease Yang." Yang would make it her life's goal to find out what their conversation was about. Blake understood this and nodded.

"I suppose I don't really have a choice," Blake sighed, aware all three pairs of eyes were on her. It would be a lot more work to dodge their questions. "It's not a big deal. I only asked him about keeping the fact I'm a Faunus and formally a member of the White Fang a secret from others. For… obvious reasons." Weiss nodded and Yang looked crestfallen.

"Aww," Yang moaned and sprawled out, forcing Blake to scoot closer to the head of the bed. "Boring."

"That was smart to consider," Weiss said to Blake. "Not being from Remnant, he wouldn't understand the political environment."

 _He understands more than you think,_ Blake thought, a little more venomously than she really should have. Weiss wasn't so much looking down on Touma, as just using common sense. Still, she didn't know him well enough to draw an accurate conclusion.

"He might understand the circumstance," Ruby interjected. "When I was captured, we talked a bit. While they don't have Faunus back in his world, they have that leveling system of theirs. They have an organization there of low levels who do similar things the White Fang does. They were called Skill… something…"

"Skill-Out," Blake finished. "He told me about them too."

"I knew you talked about more than just asking him to keep quiet!" Yang celebrated.

"What did he think of them?" Weiss asked. "From the pieces I put together from Last Order, the world they come from tends to give higher levels more preferential treatment."

"Pretty similar to my opinion of the White Fang," Blake admitted. "While he understands their frustration, he doesn't agree with their methods."

"So you two had a very heated heart to heart talk about how similar you are?" Yang prodded. "You can't tell me nothing came of that."

"How long are you going to keep this up?" Blake asked, annoyed at her partner's antics.

"Until you tell me what I want to hear," Yang explained. Blake's glare wasn't going anything to diminish Yang's desire for gossip. "How did you sink your claws into him?"

"You caught me, Yang," Blake said, sarcasm oozing out of every word. "Why I ever thought I could pull the wool over your eyes is beyond me. Yes, I dragged him into a closet and ravished him. We both enjoyed it and I will always remember that moment. Are you happy now?"

"Very," Yang laughed, knowing Blake wasn't serious, but appreciating her playing along. Weiss glanced up and frowned.

"I think you broke Ruby." Blake and Yang turned and looked at Ruby. The girl was staring at them with an expression or shock and horror. Her eyes were line dinner plates and her mouth had fallen open.

"She's only joking, Ruby," Yang said quickly, realizing her antagonizing Blake backfired. Ruby wasn't the best at detecting sarcasm, something Weiss found out the hard way when they first teamed up. "You know Blake. She wouldn't do something like that with someone she barely knew."

"We only talked a little after I showed him around," Blake reassured Ruby, who blinked and snapped back to reality.

"That makes sense," Ruby muttered and then appeared a lot more cheerful than before. "See, Yang, I told you."

"I was wondering Blake," Weiss said. "Since you had the opportunity to talk to him in depth, outside of a less than… ideal situation, what is your opinion on him?" Blake raised an eyebrow.

"He's… pretty much what we guessed," Blake answered. "Someone who ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. He's also a lot more… passive… than Accelerator. He's willing to talk at least without insulting people. Though, there were a few things I found odd." She rubbed her chin.

"Like?" Weiss prodded. "And just ignore Yang." Blake wasn't the only one who noticed their blonde friend scooting closer to her, interest etched on her face. Ruby also seemed to be hanging onto Blake's every word.

"He's a little optimistic," Blake continued. "But he's not oblivious to the obvious. After what happened, he knew Ruby and I were telling the truth about Torchwick."

"Well, yeah," Ruby agreed. "It's Torchwick. He was bound to mess up eventually. It's his enforcer Neo that is tough. She took on both Blake and I by herself."

"And she wasn't trying," Blake added. "We would have died if Touma didn't convince her to leave us."

"I still have to thank him for that," Yang muttered. The thought of losing Ruby was devastating and she kept reliving the moment when she heard what happened. "When I see that Neo girl, she's going to taste my fist."

"If Touma has his way," Blake stated. "You might get a chance."

"Huh?" Yang stared at her in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked. "Is he going to try to bring her to justice?"

"Kind of," Blake clarified. "He said his goal is to get her out of the underworld and on the right side. He wants to save her from Torchwick and her current life." The other three girls stared at her in shock.

"Is he a-…?" Weiss started to ask incredulously.

"Hero?" Ruby interrupted. "That would be awesome!"

"I was going to say idiot," Weiss sighed. "What kind of person tries to save someone who manipulated him like that? Neo's probably killed people."

"I asked him that too," Blake admitted. "His response was, given a second chance, most people in her position would want to change." She tilted her head at Weiss. "I wouldn't be in Beacon without that opportunity."

"That's completely different," Weiss protested. "Neo's not only a criminal, but a murderer."

Blake, Yang, and Ruby stared at her and she blushed. All of them remembered what happened when Weiss found out Blake had been part of the White Fang. Their group had almost fallen apart when Weiss had said similar things about Blake. Eventually, they worked out their differences, but things still got awkward when it was brought up.

"But that's not my decision," Weiss added quickly. "If the authority at the top decides she should be allowed the opportunity, I won't disagree."

"Heh," Yang chuckled. "Looks like someone realized she doesn't know everything." Weiss huffed at this and crossed her arms.

"If Touma thinks Neo can be converted to our side, I believe him." Ruby interjected. "He knows her better than we do at least." _Neo is kind of scary, but Touma is so cool. He saved me and Blake twice, plus he helped stopped the Grimm at the breach._ "So, can we go and meet him yet?"

"Give him a little time," Blake sighed. "Let him gradually get used to a few people first. For some reason, I feel like he has confidence issues."

"Really?" Ruby asked.

"Like Vomit Boy?" Yang inquired.

"Are you suggesting someone who did all the things you and Ruby described has confidence issues!?" Weiss asked incredulously.

"Not when it deals with helping others," Blake amended. "He's the kind of person to jump in automatically. I'm talking about his perception of himself, like he thinks he's not that special." She shrugged. "So kind of like Jaune, yeah." _He also acted like I was going to hurt him when he complimented my ears. Does he think girls hitting him is normal?_

"He talked with me normally," Ruby protested. "I didn't notice anything like that."

"I trust Blake's perception a lot more than yours." Weiss scoffed.

"You're so mean, Weiss!"

"Facts aren't subjected to feelings."

"Do you think he will tell me Accelerator's weakness?" Yang asked the room.

"I doubt it," Weiss huffed. "Don't ask him that."

"We don't want him to think we are the bad guys," Ruby added sternly. "Also, no puns. It's going to chase him away with how bad they are." Yang gasped and pretended to be wounded.

"Last Order likes my jokes," Yang protested. "You act like they are a pun-ishment." The other three members of her team grimaced.

"Last Order is just being nice," Weiss muttered. "That or her sense of humor hasn't fully developed yet."

"You're just upset you can't make her laugh like I can," Yang retorted.

"I want her to grow up and be a civilized member of society," Weiss countered. "Not someone who spends all their time in bars drinking."

"I won't spend _all_ my time in bars," Yang corrected her. "Just between missions after kicking some Grimm ass!"

"Language!" Ruby yelled and held out a jar. Yang grumbled and put in a lien. The jar disappeared under her cloak.

"I've been meaning to ask about that," Weiss turned to Ruby. "That jar is for…?"

"Dad wanted me to help stop Yang from swearing so much," Ruby explained. "So I carry this jar around with me and she has to put in a lien every time she swears. The money has really helped me maintain Crescent Rose."

"Aww," Weiss mused. "Good job, Ruby."

"Weiss loves me!"

"Aaand you ruined the moment."

"Guess I can spend my time making fun of Accelerator and teasing Touma," Yang muttered. "That will take my mind off losing my pocket money."

"Actually," Blake spoke up suddenly. "I would prefer you keep the teasing to a minimum."

"Yeah, Yang!" Ruby agreed. "Don't be mean to him." Yang crossed her arms in determination.

"I'm not going to be mean," she huffed. "I'm just going to give him the Yang experience."

* * *

Team RWBY stood outside of Team JNPR's dorm. It was only under Blake's insistence they held off going over there immediately, which was what Yang and Ruby had wanted to do. Eventually, Blake knew she held them back as long as possible. The only good thing was Weiss was willing to wait too, which helped Blake's case. Yang had just knocked when they heard Jaune from the other side of the door.

"Pyrrha, can you get that?! I can't get distracted."

"Fight for team JNPR's honor, Jaune! You can't let a newbie beat you!" That was definitely Nora.

"Savior! MISAKA cries. Show them the power of Academy City!"

"I don't know what you expect me to do!" A different male voice the girls recognized stated in panic. "This is my first time doing this! How am I supposed to know where anything is?"

"Go left here! MISAKA directs as MISAKA waves frantically to direct you." The door opened and Pyrrha stood in front of Team RWBY.

"Hello," she greeted them with a smile. "Come on in." Blake had told Jaune they would be over, who relayed it the rest of the team.

"Thanks, P-money," Yang said and walked in first. "Sounds like a party."

Touma and Jaune were playing a video game while the others watched. Nora was right behind Jaune, cheering for him. Touma was sitting on the edge of a bed with Last Order hanging over his shoulders. She had been pointing where he should go based on her previous experience playing the game. Ren had been sitting on his own bed writing something down in a book. Everyone stopped what they were doing when Yang and the others entered.

"Hey, guys," Jaune said and waved.

"You won't believe it!" Nora cried out. "It's his first time playing and he's already a match for Jaune! What's with people from his world being amazing gamers?!"

"I play a few games back home," Touma said sheepishly, and rubbed the back of his head. He felt bad saying Remnant's games would be considered retro back in Academy City. He looked over and saw the girls behind Yang. "Ah, hello." He waved at them, but at the same time, had an internal thought. _Are all the girls in this school supermodels?_ "All of you were at the breach." Blake nodded at him when she stepped in, but others weren't as silent.

"Hi!" Ruby shot forward in a flutter of petals, stopping right in front of Touma. He jumped slightly at her sudden move, but didn't fall backwards. He had witnessed her speed before. "You remember me, right?!"

"How could I forget," Touma gave s short laugh. "Ruby, right?"

"Yep!" Ruby began to shift nervously. "So…er… welcome to Beacon?"

Several people snickered and Ruby grew embarrassed. Now that they were face to face and there weren't any pressing matters at hand, talking to him was difficult.

"Thanks." Touma wasn't really sure how to respond to that.

"And…uh… thanks for saving me and Blake on the train," Ruby added.

"It was kind of my fault you all had to be there," Touma muttered and broke eye contact.

"While this awkward moment is fun to watch," Yang interrupted and pushed Ruby out of the way. "We won't be able to introduce ourselves for a couple hours if we let this be. Name's Yang Xiao-Long, Ruby's cool older sister. Thanks for saving her back in Mt. Glenn. I really mean it. She would have been a goner without you."

It was a little awkward for Touma, as Ruby's capture was partially his fault. When Yang held out a hand, his only choice was to shake her hand.

Specifically, Touma held out his left hand.

Yang didn't identify the significance and figured he was left-handed.

Instead, she grabbed his arm and pulled back the sleeve.

"He has some muscles on him, unlike Accelerator; who's just a twig." Yang declared to the others. Touma tried to pull his arm back, but she was stronger than him. "What's wrong? Do you not like being _Yang_ -handled?"

Everyone besides Touma groaned. Though Yang did catch him rolling his eyes, he didn't seem to hate the joke, which caused her to grin and smack him on the back. He lurched forward and somehow managed to keep his balance on the edge of the bed. She hadn't hit him that hard.

"Yang!" Ruby protested and started trying to push her sister back. "We just talked about this!"

"You're being quite rude to our guest," Weiss pointed out, annoyed. "Sorry for her behavior," she apologized, as she addressed Touma. "My name is Weiss Schnee and it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Touma Kamijou and likewise," Touma reassured her. "It's not a big deal. Truth be told, everyone is a lot friendlier than I thought they would be…after everything that happened." His face betrayed a combination of embarrassment and nervousness, but his eyes still seemed to focus on Weiss as he looked her up and down.

Blake felt a vein in her head twitch.

It wasn't like she didn't understand why he did. Touma had virtually admitted to her he was a normal teenage boy that noticed girls. The Schnees had always been known for their almost ethereal beauty. Silver hair and white porcelain skin made them stand out among the crowds. Still, she felt annoyed at Touma's reaction.

"We had time to talk about your situation," Weiss stated. "And realized Torchwick would have tricked someone who had no understanding of our world. It's just the type of person he is. You aren't at fault here."

"That's what we told him," Pyrrha added. "Many experienced individuals in Vale have been tricked into working for him."

"Who wouldn't want the super power to repel Grimm?" Nora asked.

"So what all have you talked about?" Ruby asked. "You were just playing video games when we got here."

"Silly, Rubes," Jaune said in a playful manner. "This is how Team JNPR bonds. When you play video games and talk, you tend to avoid lying because you mind is focused on winning." He gave Nora a high five. "We mostly talked about Beacon and a little bit about his arrival."

"We also got to see his power in action," Nora added. "Jaune's face was hilarious and he tripped over the bed." He had also pulled Touma down after him by accident, but they didn't mention that. It was a private Team JNPR blooper moment.

"You're the one who needed Ren to save you from him!" Jaune retorted, but there wasn't a single trace of animosity in his voice.

"Ren did a great job at that too," Nora agreed. Ren gave a short nod from his position, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards.

"What about P-money?" Yang asked.

"You could tell it affected her," Touma muttered. "Her reaction was similar to a couple other people."

"It wasn't that bad," Pyrrha said quickly, noticing Touma was avoiding eye contact with her. "It's just I had my aura unlocked since I was really young. Even knowing about the power, the sudden loss of Aura was shocking. The descriptions don't do the power justice."

"What exactly happened?" Weiss asked Ren.

"The shock caused her to pull her arm out from Touma's grip and she fell off the bed," he explained.

"Sorry," Pyrrha and Touma said simultaneously to each other. Everyone else noticed this and laughed.

"Looks like we have another apologizer," Yang pointed out, amused. "So, do Weiss and I get to see this power in action or what? Ruby and Blake have already been on the receiving end of it."

"That's up to Touma," Jaune replied and jabbed a thumb at him. "Are two more people okay?"

"It's fine," Touma sighed. "My power doesn't require effort since it's always on regardless. Just…be careful that the shock of losing your aura doesn't cause you to hurt yourself." Nora and Jaune glanced at Pyrrha, who blushed.

"How does your power work exactly," Weiss half asked, half demanded. "I heard things from Blake and Ruby, but I want to hear it directly from you."

"Don't be an Ice Queen, Weiss," Yang said and poked her. Weiss glared at her and Touma gulped.

 _She seems a lot more serious than the rest,_ he realized. _Ren and Blake are just kind of quiet._ He was going to tell the truth anyways, as he always had. Her stare just made him feel slightly guilty about it. He took a deep breath and once again talked about his hand.

"Imagine Breaker is the official name of my power in my world and it negates anything supernatural. From what I heard, Last Order and Accelerator already gave you all a rundown of the Power Curriculum. I'm considered a level 0 because my power could not be detected or classified. I was born with it, but the strangest thing is that it's only concentrated in my right hand." He held up his hand. "We can only guess why it repels Grimm, but nothing has been proven."

"It's only tied to your right hand?" Weiss asked and raised an eyebrow. "That seems weird."

"Just that?" Yang asked Weiss. "Not the repelling Grimm, negating aura? Just the 'it's my hand' part?"

"Semblances are unique to each person," Pyrrha interjected. "If we consider these abilities as their world's equivalent, there could be a reason why it's tied to his hand."

"Probably because he uses it a lot at night," Yang muttered to Jaune under her breath, while simultaneously elbowing him. "Do you? It's not good to be backed up and it might help with your training."

"Dang it, Yang!" Jaune muttered back and face palmed. Blake's brow twitched and she frowned at her teammates antics. Pyrrha's face blushed and Touma turned to look at her in horror. Most of the others either didn't catch her words or just ignored them.

Weiss wasn't nearly as accommodating.

"Must you be so vulgar?" she asked, exasperatedly. To get back to the main topic at hand, she reached forward and touched Touma's left hand. He shivered slightly, but she ignored it. "Okay, so nothing reacts here. Let me see your right hand."

The last sentence was not a request.

"Just be careful," Touma warned her again. "It's disconcerting the first time." Yang opened her mouth, but Blake quickly threw her hand over it.

"I know what to expect," Weiss snapped, a little more forcefully then she intended. She reached out and grabbed Touma's hand.

A second later, her hand snapped back and her face had grown slightly pale.

"…and that's the normal reaction," Touma sighed. "Sorry."

"It's not your fault," Panted Weiss. "I did ask for it. Goodness, you apologize as much as Pyrrha."

"Sorry," Pyrrha and Touma said in unison, which caused laughter to erupt around them.

"Isn't it weird," Nora asked Weiss. "It's like all your power fades away in an instant without taking a single blow."

"Yeah…" Weiss muttered absentmindedly. She glanced at Last Order, who had been watching. "Do you know anything about his power?"

"Nope, MISAKA replies immediately. First time MISAKA saw it was when the savior and Accelerator fought." No one missed Touma's expression darken and he avoid everyone's eyes.

"I would like to know exactly how your power works," Weiss added. "Aura is a part of ourselves, so negating...actually maybe suppression is a better word."

"Suppression?" Ruby asked. "Why do you say that?"

"That actually makes sense," Ren agreed and everyone turned to him.

"Okay," Jaune interjected. "Can you guys enlighten us?"

"If he was actually negating our Aura," Weiss explained, a little annoyed everyone didn't understand immediately. "Then it wouldn't come back when he let go. The fact that it does would imply he's suppressing it."

"Ozpin said something similar about why my Aura is gone," Touma added suddenly and everyone turned to him. "He tried unlocking my Aura and I felt it for a moment before it disappeared. So my hand must be interfering with it."

"Ozpin tried to unlock your Aura!?" Everyone except Blake, Last Order, and Ren shouted, though the two silent members stared wide-eyed at him.

"I know about it being special," Touma told them quickly. "But my situation was rather… unusual." That seemed to calm people down.

"No doubt about that," Yang agreed. "So it's my turn to try out his ability. You actually shut up Weiss…"

"Hey!"

"…so it must be something special!" Touma shrugged and held out his hand, but Yang shook her head. "No way, we are going to do this right." She walked over and lifted up Jaune's desk and set it down between them. Her arm swept off the stuff that was on it, much to Jaune's dismay, before putting her elbow on it with her hand in the ready position. "We are going to arm wrestle. Let's see how strong you are."

"Is this a good idea?" Touma asked, but Nora pushed him forward.

"This is a great idea," she exclaimed. "I should have done this!"

"The table would break," Ren pointed out honestly.

"Ah… true."

"Five lien on Yang," Ruby said immediately.

"You're on," Jaune replied and they shook hands.

"Did you two not learn _anything_ about betting?" Weiss demanded.

"Hey," Jaune said defensively. "This is between us, Snow Angel. We aren't involving the team…" He faltered under her icy glare.

"Ruby knows what's up," Yang laughed. "Place your bets now."

"I'm on Touma," Nora said instantly. "Come on, underdog!" Ren shook his head and didn't place a bet.

"MISAKA doesn't have any money, MISAKA sighs as MISAKA realizes she can't get in on the fun." Last Order looked so depressed and Weiss couldn't take it.

"Who do you think will win?" she asked her.

"The Savior, obviously, MISAKA replies honestly."

"Hey!" Yang gasped, betrayed.

"Five lien on Touma," Weiss said and threw her money in the pile.

"Traitor!" Yang accused her.

"Come on, Pyr," Jaune said to Pyrrha. "It's all in good fun and it's just a couple lien." Pyrrha looked hesitant and then nodded.

"Okay," she relented. "Five lien on the challenger."

"Hey!" Yang gasped again. It was true she was the winner of the last arm wrestling competition, where only Nora gave her a challenge. "Can I only trust family?" Her eyes fell on Blake and she pretended to pout.

"Fine," Blake sighed. "I'll add five lien…"

"I knew I could on you!"

"…on Touma."

"Et tu, Blake?" Yang looked devastated. "Ruby, my only sister, your belief is all that sustains me!"

"If you win," Ruby asked. "You're going to share the winnings, right?"

"Obviously," Yang confirmed.

"Yes! We are running low on cookies!"

"Enough talk," Nora said and then started talking like an announcer. "In the red corner, we have the undefeated champion of Team JNPR's and RWBY's Arm Wrestling Tournament, Yang! In the blue corner, the challenger from another world who can suppress Aura, Touma!" She leaned forward and grabbed their wrists. "I want a clean match you two. No name calling, kicking, or pinching. Understand?" The two of them nodded. She pressed their hands together and Yang felt all of her Aura disappear with the sound of breaking glass.

"Begin!" Nora declared and many of the onlookers cheered.

Touma took an early lead while Yang was still stunned at the sudden disappearance of most of her strength. The back of her hand almost hit the table when she gritted her teeth and pushed back. All thoughts of losing her Aura were pushed from her mind and replaced with the desire to win. As Touma's hand started moving up, she continued pushing whilst Touma's face scrunched up in concentration.

His muscles tightened as he tried to push her arm back down, but his strength had already started to wane. Yang was a trained fighter and worked out constantly in Beacon's gym with Nora. Touma's muscles were developed from fighting random people on the street and surviving all the misfortunate events that happened to him.

In pure strength, the winner was obvious.

"The victor and still champion!" Nora declared. "Yaaaang!"

"That will teach you to bet against me!" Yang told the others and then put Ruby in a one arm bear hug. "I knew I could count on family!"

"Nice try," Jaune consoled Touma and clapped him on the back. "That's the closest any one of us has gotten except for Nora."

"She's strong." Touma rubbed his arm to get some feeling back into it.

"How did you overcome the sudden loss of aura?" Pyrrha asked Yang.

"I was so focused on winning, I kind of forgot after the initial loss." Yang answered, stretching her arm. "I mean, yeah, the loss of aura is jarring, but it doesn't hurt us in anyway and there's no lasting effect."

"And that's something I'm glad about," Touma added. "If someone got seriously hurt because I erased their Aura…" Last Order patted him on the back to cheer him up. He looked up at yang. "But yeah, you're really strong."

"I fight with my fists," Yang stated. "So not only do I get a lot of combat experience brawling, I work out a lot." She eyed him up and down. "You aren't too bad yourself; definitely got some muscles built up. Shame you can't use aura or you might have had a chance." Blake raised an eyebrow and eyed Yang carefully.

"So what now?" Ruby asked. "Blake gave him a tour already and now he's met us."

"MISAKA needs to find Accelerator, MISAKA states anxiously. He has been gone too long and he always gets into trouble without MISAKA there." Pyrrha and Nora laughed at this.

"And I still have some questions about your hand." Weiss added.

"Not sure how much I can really tell you about it," Touma told her. "I don't know much more."

This had been the first time since he arrived on Remnant that Touma was finally able to relax. Sure, being with Roman and Neo meant less Grimm, but most people around them were high strung. Neo would also constantly tease him so his guard had to be up at all times. At Beacon, he met so many new people and all of them made him feel at ease. They reminded him of his classmates and friends back home. He actually felt at ease and didn't mind in the slightest he lost to Yang.

"Oh, when my hand touches dust, doesn't matter what form, it vanishes. Does that help?"

"It…vanishes?" Weiss asked dumbfounded. "No reaction or anything?" Touma shook his head. "What the…you said it negates supernatural things. Dust is a natural resources mined from the ground." Touma shrugged.

"I only have a basic understanding of your world," Touma answered. "And a good chunk was a lie, so I have to relearn-…" He was cut off when the door to the room opened and Accelerator stepped in.

He did not look happy and it only took him a second to direct his anger.

"YOU!" he roared at Touma.

"What did I do?!" Touma asked in panic and scrambled to his feet. It didn't matter since Accelerator had already reached him. He grabbed Touma's collar and stared at him with fire in his eyes. Everyone not standing jumped to their feet in surprise.

"Ever since I met you," snarled Accelerator. "It's been one fucking thing after another…!"

"Watch the language!" Ruby cried out and Yang covered her ears.

"We wouldn't even be in this mess!" Accelerator continued. "If you had just taken down that stupid so-called magician back when you had the opportunity!"

"Magician?" Jaune asked Pyrrha, who shrugged.

"That's not my fault!" Touma retorted. "By the time I knew he was after Last Order, I couldn't do anything to stop him! It's not like I know every magician on earth!"

"MISAKA doesn't remember that man much, MISAKA recalls as MISAKA scrunches her face in concentration."

"No," Ren whispered to Nora, who had just stepped forward to get in between Touma and Accelerator. "It sounds like they need to work something out."

"Aww."

"You're the one who they seem to be attracted to," Accelerator fumed. "Maybe you should have done something to prevent them from constantly showing up! We wouldn't even be in this world then!"

"What the hell was I supposed to do?!" Touma asked indignantly.

"Okay!" Weiss finally had enough and stepped in between them. Yang stood right behind her in case things began to escalate, while Blake approached from the other side to the boys. "What is going on here?!"

"Yes," a stern female voice agreed. "What indeed is going on here?" Everyone turned and all of Beacon students' faces grew white with fear. Accelerator had not closed the door behind him and their voices carried out into the hall. "I thought I advised you all on the sensitive nature of the subject you allowed to freely echo in the hallways of this school. You are all lucky that only we were there."

Glynda Goodwitch stood before them, her arms crossed, and her expression showing clear frustration.

"P-professor," Ruby stammered. "What a pleasure to have you-…"

"Enough, Ms. Rose," Glynda interrupted. "While I understand being reunited with everyone can be exciting, you are still adults and must act like it."

"Perhaps we can overlook it this once, Glynda," Ozpin said, stepping into view behind her. "No harm was done and they no doubt recognize and have learned from their mistakes." He looked at them. "Haven't you?"

"Yes, sir," Weiss, Ruby, and Pyrrha answered.

"Definitely," Yang and Jaune added.

"Yes, captain," Nora answered with a salute. Blake and Ren merely nodded. Accelerator glanced over his shoulder, but let Touma down. He didn't answer Ozpin's question though. Touma rubbed his neck where his collar had been rubbing against it.

"Accelerator was just excited to see the savior, MISAKA answers as MISAKA quickly tries to diffuse the situation."

"See, Glynda," Ozpin continued. "Everything is fine."

"You are too lax, Ozpin," Glynda sighed and she turned back to the kids. "Mr. Accelerator, Mr. Kamijou, and Ms. Order, if you would be so kind as to come with us, we have your new accommodations set up."

"New accommodations already?" Jaune asked confused. "We figured it would take longer."

"We had started clearing out an extra room for Mr. Accelerator and Ms. Order," Glynda answered. "And now that Mr. Kamijou is here, we can hardly crowd three extra people in your rooms. Even if Ms. Order stays with Team RWBY, two extra people in a room would still be too much."

"I also have something important to discuss with the two of you," Ozpin added, looking directly at Accelerator and Touma. "If you don't mind." Accelerator stared at him for a moment before responding.

"Tsk." He clicked his tongue and finally shrugged. "Whatever. Come on, brat."

"Right, MISAKA replies relieved now that the fighting is over."

"Sure," Touma answered. The atmosphere was a little awkward. As he left to follow Ozpin, he turned around to face everyone. "Thanks for everything, guys. We will see you later then?"

"Meet us in the cafeteria when you're done," Nora suggested. "It's almost time for dinner anyways and you can tell us about your top secret mission for Ozpin."

"If it's top secret," Jaune asked. "Would he be able to tell us?"

"Of course he can, Jaune-Jaune!" Nora exclaimed and rolled her eyes. "We will be required to help?"

"Wha…?" Touma asked, completely confused. Yang and Pyrrha laughed at his expression.

"We can explain Nora's thought process later," Ren reassured him. Touma raised an eyebrow and nodded. As he turned to leave again, his eyes met Blake's briefly. She gave him a small smile and nod, which immediately made him feel better.

Glynda stayed behind when Ozpin led the three visitors away.

"Please do understand the importance of secrecy," Glynda told them. "The information you have could cause problems if it falls in the wrong hands. Make sure you cannot be overheard when discussing such things, understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," everyone said in unison.

"Good, I will be on my way then."

"Wait!" Yang said suddenly.

"Yes?" Glynda asked. "What is it, Ms. Xiao-Long?"

"I… may need a new bed," Yang explained hesitantly.

"Ah, yes." Glynda's eyebrows narrowed and Yang gulped. "It will take a few days to acquire one, unless you want to purchase one yourself. Until then, you may use one of the cots left behind." She gestured to Accelerator's cot.

"I have to wait for one?" Yang gasped.

"Think of it as an extra lesson," Glynda said and straightened her glasses. "Have a good day, everyone." She turned and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Ouch." Jaune flinched and Pyrrha made sympathetic noises.

"Goodwitch seemed like she enjoyed that," Nora pointed out and Ren shook his head.

"I think it was because she knew the circumstances that led to it," Ren explained. "And wanted to use it as a teaching instrument."

"Either way," Weiss added firmly. "You aren't sharing my bed, Yang!"

"Me either," Ruby added quickly. "I'm not getting kicked out again by you."

"You both suck," Yang said and stuck her tongue out at them. She turned to Blake and her eyes widened, as she tried to plead with her partner. "I will never last without a bed."

"I agree," Blake nodded her head and Yang's eyes widened. "You will never last without one." She gestured to the abandoned cot left by Accelerator. "There you go. I'll even help you carry it back to our room."

"Some partner you are!" Yang cried out, to a chorus of laughter.

* * *

"So are all rooms coed?" Touma asked Ozpin.

"We treat our students as adults," Ozpin explained calmly. "As they are the protectors of our world and are trained to fight the creatures of Grimm, we give them a certain amount of freedom. You no doubt noticed they are in groups of four. Their team will be with them for all four years here and many times these teams carry on once they graduate. Each member must trust their team with their life, because every other member entrusts them with theirs. By living together, they form those bonds, not that there isn't the occasional argument. Does that answer your question?"

"Yeah," Touma answered. "I wasn't really insinuating anything, my roommate back home is a girl, but it's kind of a special circumstance." At the thought of Index, he grew somber.

 _I hope she's okay. I've been gone for a couple days and there's no food in the fridge. Please find sensei's place again, Index!_

"Same with MISAKA and Accelerator, MISAKA adds seriously as MISAKA nods her head in agreement. We are roommates, yet the reason is complicated."

"Just like your current situation is special," Ozpin hummed in agreement. "But fear not, Glynda has instilled fear into those who travel along our halls. She will not tolerate students crossing the line."

"I got that impression," Touma agreed. "I only spoke with her a short time and…" He shivered. Ozpin chuckled.

"She's in charge of all these students, MISAKA explains. So she needs to be able to discipline them." Last Order turned to Accelerator. "Can we send the evil one here to get taught by her? MISAKA asks hopefully as MISAKA would love to see the evil one's face when facing Ms. Goodwitch." The corners of Accelerator's mouth twitched, but he didn't say anything.

 _There's a catch to getting us the room,_ Accelerator thought. _It shouldn't be that hard to clear out a room. Even if they needed beds, those cots could have been placed in one._

Accelerator wasn't sure what Ozpin was up to, but he had seen enough people like him in the past. They act kind but always have an ulterior motive. He was playing along for now, if only to make sure Last Order was taken care of. He was also a little pissed at himself for exploding after seeing Touma face to face. Sure, anger was a prevalent emotion and everything he said was true, but he already knew Touma couldn't do squat about it. It just felt good to blame him.

 _That damn doctor and her fucking hormone analysis. This better get cleared up fast._

"And here we are," Ozpin announced, stopping in front of a door.

"We didn't have to go far," Touma pointed out. "Just around the corner?"

"Yay! MISAKA cheers. MISAKA can visit her new friends easily."

"I figured it would make adjusting easier for you to be near people you know," Ozpin explained. "I'm sure they can answer your questions, but feel free to come to Glynda or me if you need to." He handed Touma a scroll. "Here, this is your communicator during your stay. It also allows access into the room by scanning it."

"Thank you," Touma told him. "So... do you know how long it might take to find us a way home?"

"I have had one of my associates contact me and is heading to the location Accelerator was discovered to examine for any traces of the anomaly that brought you here," Ozpin answered. "I am awaiting the results of that inspection."

"Better than nothing," Accelerator muttered.

"Don't mind him, MISAKA says quickly as MISAKA tries to cover up Accelerator's rudeness. He only wants to return home soon too. We left a few important people back there."

"It is understandable that emotions will be running high in this situation," Ozpin reassured her. "A certain level of rudeness is to be expected." He paused. "I do have one more piece of information to bestow upon you before you enter this room, Mr. Kamijou."

Touma raised his eyebrow and looked confused.

 _There it is,_ Accelerator thought and frowned. Last Order only tilted her head in polite interest.

"We have an extra individual who also required a room," Ozpin explained. "We decided to put her with you three, for multiple reasons."

"Such as…?" Accelerator asked bitterly.

"You will see in a moment," Ozpin said seriously and opened the door.

Touma, Accelerator, and Last Order all stuck their head in and looked around. The room was similar size compared to Team RWBY and JNPR. There were four desks, four beds, a closet, and a door leading to the bathroom. The only thing different was the fact there was a person on the far bed. Accelerator had not seen her, but he recognized the pink, white, and brown description from the others after the breach.

On the other hand, Touma recognized her immediately and his mouth fell open in shock.

"N-N-Neo!?" The girl sat up from the bed and beamed at him.

"Ms. Neopolitan came to me after the breach," Ozpin explained. "She regrets her action and provided information on Roman Torchwick and the White Fang's activities. Normally, her actions would have a minimum of life in prison or possibly death. But after our conversation, Mr. Kamijou, we came up with a better idea. Prisoners are limited due to the negativity they cause being locked up and the world already has enough graves of those who have died by the hands of human, Faunus, and Grimm. A second chance was given to her to make up for her past misdeeds. I was hoping you could help her."

Touma stared dumbstruck up at him.

* * *

"So why are we visiting them?" Blake asked the other members of her team. "They only left around ten minutes ago." She looked up from her book when Ruby stopped and stared at her.

"Because we have to brighten up their new room," Ruby replied in a tone that made it seem like it was the most obvious thing in the world. She held up a basket of assorted goods the group put together. There was candy from Ruby, some extra shampoo from Yang, a couple dust crystals from Weiss, and an extra book from Blake. "And they will love our gifts."

"Not sure what the guys use," Yang laughed. "But Last Order can use some of my products. Found out after I bought them that they are better for short hair."

"And Accelerator was interested in dust," Weiss added. "He left some of the books in JNPR's room, so I figured I could give him a few basic crystals to examine at his leisure."

"Plus you want to make sure Last Order is okay," Yang laughed and elbowed her in the side.

"While I'm not a fan of Accelerator's language," Weiss stated hesitantly. "Touma appears to be civil, even if he goes along with your uncivilized games."

"Still champion," Yang bragged and flexed. "He wasn't bad though. Maybe I'll drag him and Accelerator along to the gym with me. It is sure to _accel_ their physical attributes." Everyone ignored her last comment.

"We could have given it to them when they came back and picked up the stuff they left," Blake pointed out.

"True," Yang agreed and threw her arms around Blake and Ruby. "But then you and Ruby won't get a chance to flirt with the new guy. Maybe if we get lucky, he won't have a shirt on."

"Ugh," Weiss groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Ruby, on the other hand, flushed brightly. Blake simply rolled her eyes. She was used to keeping her face passive.

"T-that's not it, Yang!" Ruby protested. "S-sure he saved Blake and me twice, but he and the others are far away from his home. He needs friends now more than ever, so we should help them out when we can."

"Sounds you like are focusing a lot on the 'saved us' part," Yang pressured.

"I actually agree with her," Weiss added. "That's a very responsible thing to say."

"Yay, Weiss thinks I'm an adult."

"Why must you keep making me regret my words?"

"Weiss only wants to spend time with Last Order," Yang told Ruby. "And possibly try to get Accelerator to see her in a positive light." Weiss flushed slightly. "Should we get you a dog or something instead if you want something to fawn over?"

"That's not it!" Weiss protested.

"No dogs," Blake hissed and regained her composure. "Besides Yang, you only want to come because you didn't get a chance to ask Touma about Accelerator's weakness."

"Dang straight," Yang confirmed. "Even the smallest clue might lead to something. He's going to pay for ruining my bed."

"I doubt that," Blake muttered under her breath.

"Okay," Weiss stopped and looked at the room in front of them. "This is the room number Last Order told us."

"Cool!" Ruby exclaimed cheerfully. "The door's open." The door to the room hadn't been fully closed and she stepped forward to push it open.

"Wait!" Weiss shouted, but it was too late. The door swung open as Ruby barged in.

"Hello!" she greeted the room's inhabitants. "We figured you might like some house warming… presents…"

Her words died out and she froze.

Weiss had stepped forward when she tried to stop Ruby and glanced into the room. Her face also froze in an expression of shock. Yang frowned and quickly scooted behind them, only for her mouth to fall open. Blake raised an eyebrow and actually closed her book. She leaned forward to peer around the door frame.

Her eyes flashed dangerously at the sight.

Accelerator was sitting on the bed on the far right with Last Order laying across the foot of the bed, perpendicular to him. Accelerator had earphones connected to his scroll and barely looked up when the girls barged in. Last Order didn't even turn to face them. She was too busy staring at what was happening on the other end of the room. That event was what caused all the girls to stop in their tracks. Yang was the only one who hadn't seen the girl before, but the description had been relayed enough times.

They all recognized Neo.

What was worse, at least to two of them, was she was hanging over the shoulder of Touma, who was sitting on the bed. She was initiating a lot of contact with her body while Touma seemed to be trying to get her off of him. Both of them had looked up when the girls had entered.

"It's not what it looks like!" Touma cried out instantly, but Neo had other plans. Before any of the girls could respond, she took action.

Neo leaned forward over his shoulder, wrapped her arms tightly around Touma, and kissed him on the cheek.

Blake's hand reached for her weapon out of reflex.

It was lucky Gambol Shroud was in her locker.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **I'm expecting more action starting in the next chapter. This is the last slice of life moment. Figure a few classes, exploring Vale and the Grimm infested forests, along with a few other enemies appearing should liven things up.**

 _ **SF88: Help me! Dark has kept me locked in the basement for 24 hours without food; just pellets! Please send help!**_

 **Current Ship Names:**

 **Touma and Yang: Fistbump / Punchline/ Imagine Dragon/ Love at First Punch/ Hair You Go Again**

 **Touma and Weiss: Cool to the Touch / Princess and the Pauper / Shattered Mirror**

 **Touma and Ruby: Blossoming / Thorny Rose / Speedy Rescue / Innocently Indecent/ Nectar of the Gods.**

 **Touma and Blake: Nine Lives / Bad Luck / Kami-Nyaan / Equality**

 **Touma and Velvet: Bunny Couple / Rabbit's Foot/ Lucky Number Zero/ Camera Shy**

 **Touma and Penny: Android's Dream / Faulty Electronics/ Lost Change**

 **Touma and Ren: Lotus Fist**

 **Touma and Jaune: Better Luck Next Time/ Lifesavers**

 **Touma and Nora: Glutton for Punishment / Divine Sparks**

 **Touma and Pyrrha: Babe Magnet/ Dense Armaments**

 **Touma and Coco: Black Coffee/ Stylish Illusion**

 **Touma and Fox: Eye-Caramba**

 **Touma and Glynda: Teacher's Pet / Promise Lands/ Dunce Cap**

 **Touma and Ozpin: Broken Reply Button**

 **Touma and Adam: Chronic Crusaders/ Prick and the Pauper**

 **Touma and Emerald: Shattered Illusions / Illusion Breaker / Portmanteau Poverty**

 **Touma and Twins: Triple Threat / Cerberus**

 **Touma and Cinder: Through the Fire and Flame / Fire Demons / Sinner and Savior/ A Match Made In Hellfire**

 **Touma and Neo: Uncertain Flavor / Breaking Reality/ Stockholm Slasher Romance**

 **Touma and Roman: Corruption of the Innocent**

 **Touma and Salem: Burning Witch / Light and Shadow / Shattering Darkness/ Grimm Chances of Survival / Darklight**

 **Touma and Summer: Summer Break.**

 **Touma and Raven: Alpha and Omega/ Feather for Brains**

 **Touma and Qrow: Misfortune Squared / Bad luck Charms / Misfortunate Misfits**

 **Accelerator and Weiss: Cold and Calculating / Ice Vector / A Frosty Reception**

 **Accelerator and Yang: Road Rage / Short Fuse / Way of the Dragon/ War of the Red Eyes / Push Button to Die**

 **Accelerator and Ruby: One-Way Rose / No Brakes / Rose Manipulation**

 **Accelerator and Blake: Twilight Arrow / Chain and Sickly / Chasing Shadows**

 **Accelerator and Nora: Shattered Bones / Broken Dreams / Nerve Impulse/ Going the Distance**

 **Accelerator and Velvet: White Flash / Hopping Mad / Unsuspecting Prey**

 **Accelerator and Glynda: Fix and Destroy**

 **Accelerator and Penny: String Theory/ Broken Toys**

 **Accelerator and Sun: Sunny and Sullen**

 **Accelerator and Adam: Charging Bull/ Rabid Animals**

 **Accelerator and Mercury: Killer Moves**

 **Accelerator and Emerald: Red Eyed Killers/ After Image**

 **Accelerator and Coco: Fashionable Disaster/ Fashion is a Science**

 **Accelerator and Pyrrha: Opposites Attract/ Copper Aftertaste**

 **Accelerator and Raven: Yang's Nightmare/ Fallen Feathers**

 **Accelerator and Neo: Sadistic Streaks**


	20. Uncertain Flavor

**As I'm writing this, I noticed 60 comments had been posted for this chapter. I did delete a couple that appeared to be spam, such as someone posting 4+ times with things that really didn't need to be posted, but I don't delete comments pointing out issues or suggestions for me to improve. Still, 60 comments on a crossover story I, who is nowhere near a professional author, is a pretty big achievement. So I want to again thank everyone who took the time to read this story and leave behind a review. It really is a nice indicator on how I'm doing and a nice motivator to continue writing, even when I have other things that occupy my time. Also a special thanks to SilverFang88 for continuing to review my chapters, even if all he wants to do is play Monster Hunter World 24/7.**

 **jordanlink7856: I can see your pairing is decided.**

 **98kazer: I feel I should reprimand you for that pun, but I'm not very good at them myself.**

 **Neema Amiry: Been writing for ages. As long as I don't tire of the story, I'll keep cranking it out until it finishes.**

 **Mrcrazyman94: They have no resistance. As long as Touma doesn't take Pyrrha from Jaune, it's good.**

 **Ahsoei: Heh, like Ozpin would let the students know about his secret deals.**

 **IlluminatiAnimeLover789: RWBY has a lot of opportunity for slice of life stuff. The action events in the actual series only happen a couple days during the school year, so there are plenty of opportunities for basic school adventures. It's time for people to get to know Neo.**

 **MythAnime: Eventually you will get that.**

 **shiroryuu012: Ah Touma, time to add the Queen of Grimm to your harem.**

 **HikariNiwa: SilverFang has declared Neo best girl now and will get mad at me if she doesn't win.**

 **JumpingToaster: Aleister would wipe out Salem if it meant bringing back Touma and Accelerator.**

 **Bluejack222: Pretty much.**

 **Guest: No, no, no. Accelerator only gets in trouble when Last Order loses him. As for Neo getting along with them, if she doesn't threaten Last Order, Accelerator will tolerate her, probably.**

 **The 10th Wand: They spend a good part of their time fighting monsters, being able to do normal things like dating keeps them grounded to reality.**

 **Guest: Nope, only at 19. This is the 20** **th** **.**

 **Guess: His hormones were unbalanced because he deflected a lot of external stimulus subconsciously that caused his body to not need them. To consciously adjust each gland's output is not something he actually bothered to figure out. Now he has to actually focus on it and won't work when he sleeps.**

 **LL: That skit could actually occur based on if Touma meets Velvet. He's not going to stay quiet about Cardin picking on her. Hey, gamers don't rely on luck, only skill. The IB won't affect them. I kind of want to write the scene where Yang and Nora try to get Accelerator to pump iron. He won't be able to do much and something Yang will tease him mercilessly about. Of course, the shirtless part on Touma is just so he doesn't dirty his clothes. No ulterior motive is present. Touma will leave Remnant twenty years older because of Neo.**

 **Guest: Team TouMan!**

 **dickythamrin077: Blake is the quiet, territorial girl.**

 **Handsomistic1: Why not all three? A scheme gone wrong because she likes Touma and he changes her?**

 **Moongaze14: Arkos is my OTP in the RWBY ship, so there will be comments about that. Neo's interactions with the others are going to be great. As for Tsune, I'll reread Professor Arc at some point.**

 **Gashadokuro Amanojaku: If they had one more combat team member, maybe. For now, there is a T, A, N and maybe an L or O. Though, they probably won't add Last Order to the team name. So team TAN seems doable.**

 **Croniklerx: Huh, didn't think the grammar was that bad. I'll see what we can do. Team JNPR always seemed to be the team that could get along with anyone. On Team RWBY you have; a socially awkward, a heiress, a silent bookworm, and a party girl. Ren's always just kind of there. Everyone over shadows him unless you to specifically focus on him. The hormones thing was just a joke on discord and it ballooned into a real event in this story because of the hilarity and plot development it can add. I don't think Yang would actually get with either of them, but she might tease Ruby and Blake about the possibilities. (I'm bad at puns, sue me.) "'Touma touches people and makes them weak in the knees' is grade-A lemon fuel right there." Oh god, someone on discord just said something similar not too long ago. Sadly, I should have skipped over some of the repetition, but the people's reactions were kind of important. It's all well and done now so I can focus on new stuff.**

 **Inacio: The ice crystals were formed by igniting dust with her Aura. He could negate the Aura used in the dust to turn it back into pure dust and would have given the appearance of making it disappear. Negating dust without Aura is something else. Ozpin is old enough to call him that. Vacuo doesn't have many laws though, so can't break them with discrimination if there aren't any.**

 **Oracle14: Well, they are the ships that kind of started out. Things could change.**

 **icedragon811: My reviewer does too.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: No, Accelerator's body is back to normal levels, with his brain a little less than optimize. He has to wait until his body adapts to the new hormone levels, so no idea how long that would take. Growth is an important part of any story. Always blame Touma. The spy games shall now commence.**

 **Fernandamichelleraya: It does make sense Ruby would be the one to break Accelerator's shell. She's too much like Last Order and will continue to approach him the harder he tries to push her away. Accelerator's issues revolve around trusting. People used him and consider him a monster. He also knows he can hurt people without meaning to. Separating himself from the others was a way to stop that. Accelerator is the bad guy a good girl can help rehabilitate. Heh, Weiss might not have a chance. Of course, Ruby can always just be a friend. She doesn't have to fall for him romantically. Everyone HAD to try getting their Aura negated. How often do you get to experience that?**

 **vietnamese guy: Literally.**

 **Formboy1: I wondered what happened to you. So much is going on when you make a list like that. Accelerator being attracted to girls was my absolute favorite idea though. Killing Bites manga was fine and I thought it would end, but then it keeps updating. Yang is still really strong and works out constantly, so once the shock ends, she can own him. Last Order is too young to be part of the team name. They probably will be Team TAN until someone else joins. Keep trying with the names, something is bound to stick.**

 **Gamator: Touma's dream girl.**

 **HydraLightning: Misfortune? He actually got an attractive girl. That lucky bastard!**

 **Salishious: I skipped some of the dialogue and moved straight toward the action. Neo is a Lessar with actual skills. It's hard to exploit Accelerator's weakness. Nope, because there's some unusual properties of dust crystals and powder. Aura comes from a living person, so it replenishes itself. That seems more like Merlot Industries than Schnee.**

 **Boop: People in the TAMNI universe don't really understand it, I doubt people in RWBY would. That skit though… I want to work it in somehow.**

 **Maxxuzumaki: This chapter has a few minor ones. It kind of focuses on Touma and Neo, if the title didn't imply that.**

 **Guest: Hard to tell with Blake. She's not nearly as open as someone like Neo or Yang would be. A kiss in private might be doable.**

 **A certain guest: Ah, I fixed it now on this chapter. Yatsu is kind of a minor character, so not sure how much exploration he will have. Ren is kind of in the same boat too about being kind of Japanese. I kind of implied already someone from Touma's world visited Remnant at some point in the past, remember? I doubt he could have a lasting effect if it was only a little while. It will be a while before a good opponent for Accelerator will face him, still debating about the maiden powers. I'm probably not going to have Tsune play a major part like that. A few minor funny scenes here and there will most likely be the most of it.**

 **RedBurningDragon: Roman and Neo needed a lot more screen time than they got in the actual series. Zwei will be arriving in a day or two because he and Last Order can get into trouble.**

 **Dark Tyrant-Fool: He could still get that opportunity.**

 **Guest: Suppressing made more sense. Negating an Aura completely meant it wouldn't come back.**

 **Anon: All a good story takes is an idea and perseverance.**

 **Tiffany012: Unless the bullets are completely made of dust, no. A metal casing would still have been fired.**

 **WiliamZ0: The names are what people give me. Some pairings are easier for people to come up with. Touma would occasionally chuckle at a bad joke. Once he knows she does it ALL the time, he will stop. Sarcasm, identifying it is an important skill. Ah… cat fights. How we love them.**

 **Fortitude: Aogami might kill Touma after this chapter.**

 **zek-xz: Nothing bad happening to Touma…. HAHAHAHA. That's an interesting point. Touma usually surprises his opponents with the IB. Without that element, he could be in trouble.**

 **Pasapack: Repetitiveness is over. Time for new adventures. 1) Jaune 2) Aqua 3) He doesn't like to brag. 4) No.**

 **Phoenix 7.49: Being low on Aura is not the same as being exhausted. Even being low, they still have enhanced power. Raven will show up eventually.**

 **Sergio644: Neo x Touma… two complete opposites.**

 **Tecpatl: Time for Touma to get some boxing training from yang.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

"I object to leaving that girl alone with them."

Glynda glared at Ozpin from across his desk. The two of them had returned to his office after leaving Touma to introduce Neo to Last Order and Accelerator. Glynda knew about the arrangement, but had been constantly trying to talk Ozpin out of it. So far, her words appeared to have fallen on deaf ears.

"Ozpin, she's a murderer, thief, liar, and who knows how many other laws she's broken. Yet… you want to leave her alone with three children who do not belong in our world? What were you thinking?!"

"I was thinking," Ozpin replied calmly. "That given a second chance, Miss Neopolitan will understand there is an alternative path aside from a life of crime. Her skills and experience are incredibly valuable. It would be a waste to throw them away."

"No one is questioning her skills," Glynda interjected quickly. "What I'm questioning is the logic behind putting her in a group with children. What's to stop her from running amuck and slaughtering them? What if she's a spy sent by Roman Torchwick to investigate us? If the word gets out she's here, James and the council are going to serve you on a platter."

"Things won't be quite that simple," Ozpin answered, maintaining his calm demeanor as he sipped his coffee. "Roman kept her well out of the spotlight and the only people who know her true identity are part of the criminal underworld. Those same people are unlikely to squeal or else they run the risk of her wrath. Some in-depth investigations revealed her existence, but she was never identified. She could walk around Vale in broad daylight without being recognized. The Vale Police Department and the council will have no way to identify her."

He set down his mug and stared directly at Glynda.

"If worst comes to worse, I'll simply tell them she was an insider who passed on the information leading to the interception and arrest of the recent White Fang activity." He shook his head. "I would prefer that situation not occur. It would require a great deal of time to convince certain individuals."

"What do you mean?" Glynda asked.

"Do you think I believe everything people tell me?" Ozpin asked and raised an eyebrow. Glynda bit her lip, but kept her gaze on him. "I was also skeptical about her sudden desire to reform. Initially, I too believed she was acting as a spy; knowing that it would not have been the first time. So I questioned her on what sort of proof she could provide to show how serious she was. She gave me quite a bit of information that I passed on to the local authorities. They recently performed a three pronged attack on the warehouses the White Fang had been using. Of course, they were also accompanied by a handful of Hunters currently in the city as an added precaution."

"I heard the police were doing something," Glynda admitted. "But it just happened and there was no information on that outcome available yet."

"I actually received the report only a few moments ago." Ozpin reassured her. "The underworld moves fast and, to be honest, I didn't expect much. As soon as the White Fang was revealed, they would abandon their current locations and stay inconspicuous. I half expect the warehouses to turn up empty." He sipped his coffee again. "Turns out I was half right; as only one of the three was completely empty. The second one was lined with crates. From what I was told, there was several million Lien worth of dust stored inside that warehouse." Glynda's eyes widened slightly. "The third was almost empty, but only because the White Fang was desperately trying to clear out their stockpile."

"Were they taken alive?"

"Many were," Ozpin confirmed. "Thanks to their surprise arrival and the professional hunters. A few escaped and the dust already removed has not been found, but a couple dozen were taken in for questioning. I have to go down to Vale tomorrow to assist with that. The breach, as you know, is not their usual style of protest. We still need to find the motive as to why they did that. Hopefully, together we can find out what the White Fang wanted to gain by doing this. Finding Roman and anyone else of note that collaborated with him is also top priority."

"This operation was too big for him to be working alone," Glynda agreed. "Still, even if she provided information regarding her former employer's work, that still doesn't excuse your decision to place her with three children. One of them is only around ten years old!"

"I am aware, which is why I established three specific conditions for her to follow." Ozpin continued. "The conditions I set in place were as followed: One, she must be accompanied at all times. We can't let her wonder around the school as she pleases. There are certain rooms she must not know about." Glynda nodded. "Two, she is forbidden from going back to Vale until I say otherwise. This is to prevent her from meeting up with any of her former comrades." Glynda nodded in agreement again. "Third, and this is kind of a continuation of the last condition, was that she is not allowed access to her scroll. Because she is unable to speak I have given her a tablet to allow her to communicate along with preloaded textbook information." He actually smirked at this. "If she wanted to join my school, then she will be treated like a student."

"Ozpin," Glynda pressed exasperatedly. "You didn't explain your logic about letting her on a team, _with three children who shouldn't be in our world in the first place_!"

"That wasn't my original plan," Ozpin told her seriously. "She gave me one condition she would not budge on before giving me a single scrap of information."

"And that was…?"

"That she was to stay by Mr. Kamijou's side."

Glynda stared at him.

"Are you telling me?" She asked, dumbstruck. "That this girl, a feared and ruthless assassin, gave up crime to tag along with a boy?"

"That sums it up quite nicely," Ozpin agreed and smirked at her expression.

"Ozpin… that reasoning is insane!" Glynda almost threw up her hands in exasperation. "There is no way that's true! You put our students in danger because you want to believe in love!?"

"Love can cause many people to do crazy and foolish things," Ozpin sighed, leaning back into his chair. "But that is not the only reason I allowed this. Mr. Kamijou… I believe he has the power to turn her away from the darkness and onto a new path. Being away from Roman, the White Fang, and all other negative or criminal influences would do her some good. She will no longer need to steal to survive and her skills can be used to train others. Plus, if she recognizes a Huntress as being a viable career path for her, the good she can do will be immeasurable. I want to believe in that dream, but I can't take a risk like that without some sort of precaution. It is the reason I included Last Order and Accelerator with them."

"Tell me the reasoning," Glynda half demanded.

"Accelerator is perhaps the only student here who stands a chance against her," Ozpin explained. "If she regressed and ran wild, he would be the best chance at stopping her before our staff could arrive. With Last Order there and having the knowledge of who Neo was, he will not let down his guard." He turned to face Glynda directly. "Is that acceptable?"

"I still don't like it," Glynda muttered. "But you make a lot of decisions that I doubt and they end up working. Maybe I should just go along with your whims."

"Don't do that," Ozpin told her quickly, sitting up in his chair a bit. "I have made a lot of mistakes over the course of my life. Having someone questioning me helps me go over the process of making that decision in the first place." He smiled at her. "Keep doing what you have been doing."

"Okay." Glynda frowned and flipped through her clipboard. "Question then: If Miss Neo is truly in love with Mr. Kamijou, did you tell her the school rules about those types of relationships?"

"I mentioned it," Ozpin confirmed. "That issue is that might be one of the rules she doesn't mind breaking. Hopefully, Mr. Accelerator will make them tone it down with Last Order around. If nothing else, to keep her from being… corrupted."

* * *

Lilac eyes changed to red as heat began to erupt around Yang.

"Move!" She yelled at Touma, as she charged forward.

Out of the members of Team RWBY, Yang was easily the best fighter without her weapon. Ember Celica, her shotgun gauntlets, only emphasized her preferred fighting style of beating her opponent down with brute force. Weiss could use her glyphs, but they lacked a lot of offensive capabilities without dust. Blake could fight a little in hand to hand, but she wouldn't be nearly as capable without her weapon. Ruby was completely useless in melee combat without Crescent Rose. Of course, that reasoning was lost on Yang. There was one main reason she had charged forward in a furious rage.

Neo had almost killed her sister.

"Wait!" Weiss yelled out in alarm, but it was far too late.

Yang brought her arm back and prepared to deliver a punch over Touma's shoulder. Even in a fury, she still prioritized keeping the innocent boy from being hit. There was a chance he would still get involved if Neo tried to use him as shield. Two things happened simultaneously and seemed to occur in slow motion. The first was Neo pushing off Touma as she jumped backwards to put a little space between her and Yang. All that was going to do was add half a second before Yang could reach her. Though, with her skill, it was enough to give her several options in how to respond.

Yang expected this.

What she didn't expect was for Touma to jump towards her.

Nor did she expect him to reach up and block her fist with the palm of his right hand.

"What are you doing?!" Yang yelled furiously, as all of her Aura vanished instantly. It was at that moment she understood the true terrifying nature of Touma power. It was one thing to allow him to negate her Aura in a controlled environment and another thing entirely when in combat. Most of her strength disappeared in an instant. Her eyes, now back to lilac, glared at the girl over Touma's shoulder. Neo raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Let go! That bitch almost killed Ruby!"

"Ozpin brought her here!" Touma yelled, refusing to release her. "Let me explain!" He looked over Yang's shoulders and pleaded for help.

"You'll love this," Accelerator laughed, watching the spectacle before him with interest.

"What's… going on?" Ruby asked hesitantly, as Weiss and Blake slowly moved to either side of Yang.

"Neo is our new teammate, MISAKA explains proudly as MISAKA thumps her chest to indicate the importance of this." She was standing on Accelerator's bed, having shot up when Yang charged at Neo.

"What?!" shrieked the girls.

"Holy shit!" Accelerator growled. "Could your voices be any more annoying? At least she's a mute, so it's already a step up from some." His eyes fell on Yang.

"There's no way Ozpin approved this criminal to stay with you!" Weiss snapped. "She's broken countless laws, almost killed Ruby and Blake, and was responsible for the breach! At the very least, she would be locked up for life."

"There's a reason for all of this," Touma tried to reassure them. "Please, let me explain," he asked again. His eyes fell onto each one of them in turn, ending on Blake; who in turn bit the corner of her lip.

"She… doesn't seem to be doing anything," Blake said slowly, causing everyone to glance in her direction. Her eyes never left Neo, who was leaning up against the wall behind Touma. "And Accelerator was rather nonchalant about her presence, yet knew about her from our previous conversations. Let's at least hear him out."

"Are you kidding me?!" Yang asked in disbelief. "Have you lost it?! She tried to kill you, Blake!"

"Will you just shut up?" Accelerator snapped.

"But she didn't," Blake pointed out calmly to Yang.

"Couldn't we at least… hear him out?" Ruby asked tentatively.

"Weiss," Yang turned to the last person of her group. "You're with me here, right?"

"She doesn't have her weapon," Weiss pointed out. "While Accelerator seems unperturbed by her appearance. Something happened, so I think we should hear the explanation." Her eyes narrowed at Neo. "However, if she makes any sudden movements, we will consider it an attack."

Yang made a noise of indignation, but had no choice but to relent.

"Fine," she huffed and her eyes fell down to Touma, who still refused to let go of her. "Are you going to keep holding my hand already or do you want to buy me dinner?" Touma's yanked his hand away in a blur while his face flushed in a weird combination of embarrassment and apologetic. _He's so much fun to tease. I could get addicted to it._ The brief flicker of light heartedness didn't last long as her eyes bore into Neo's. "Okay... I'm calm. Explain why she is here." Her eyes narrowed. "Quickly."

"It's a funny story," Touma started with a slight chuckle, but quickly stopped when no one laughed. "Ozpin surprised us with her when we arrived here. We haven't heard all the specifics, but it seems she wants to repent and turn over a new leaf for her past actions."

"As if," Weiss scoffed.

"The timing is too convenient," Blake pointed out. "She either just wants to avoid jail or is acting as a spy for Torchwick."

"Duh," Accelerator mumbled. "Ozpin's not fucking retarded." Everyone except Yang glanced at him. She still had her eyes glued on Neo. "She must have given him a lot of information relating to the White Fang and that Torchwick guy. It's the only explanation."

His declaration was met with silence.

"That makes sense," Weiss muttered and rubbed her chin. "She was supposedly higher up in the organization, so she would know their hiding places. Once she surrendered that information, the White Fang would undoubtedly want revenge. So, in exchange for that, Ozpin kept her here; is that correct?" Neo nodded and made a vertical circling gesture with her hand. "There's more?" Neo pointed to a tablet on the desk and then pointed to Yang.

"Get it," Yang growled. "It's going to be easier to argue without trying to decipher your hand signals."

"Are you okay with this?" Ruby asked Accelerator, as Neo walked slowly over to grab her tablet. "I mean, Touma seems like the guy to be willing to accept this… but you?"

"I threatened her when we arrived," Accelerator said with a yawn. "If she tries anything, Ozpin gave me full authority to do what's needed."

Ruby may not have known exactly what he meant, probably something about incapacitating her. Everyone else knew he meant something much more permanent.

"She hasn't done anything suspicious, MISAKA adds as MISAKA tries to diffuse the situation. She answered our questions and then attached herself to the savior."

Ruby and Blake flinched at this.

"Ozpin is giving Neo a second chance to make a positive change for herself and others as a Huntress," Touma protested, mainly to Ruby's teammate. "Shouldn't we support that?"

Weiss pinched her lips together. He wasn't exactly wrong, but that didn't mean she liked it. Blake was in a similar mindset. Yang opened her mouth to say something and then stopped as Neo held up her tablet. It was larger than her scroll, so it was easier to read for everyone.

' _What the Schnee said was true.'_ Weiss didn't question how Neo knew her name _. 'I gave up a lot of sensitive information to Ozpin for freedom. He presented me the opportunity to join Beacon.'_

"And why should we trust you?" Yang asked bitterly. Neo shrugged in response. "Are you not going to even try to defend yourself?"

' _It will only fall on deaf ears.'_

Yang's eyes flashed dangerously and Blake was forced to put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"She does have a point," Blake admitted. "We have a grudge against her." She turned to Ruby. "You are the one who actually saw everything. What is your opinion on this?"

"She did decide not to stab you with her sword," Ruby stated and glanced at Touma, seeing him pleading for her help out of the corner of her eye. "So there has to be some good in her." She stepped forward in front of the others and held out her hand. "Hi, this is our first formal meeting, my name's Ruby."

Neo stared at her in bewilderment and then turned to Touma as she pointed at Ruby.

"I'm pretty sure Ruby isn't capable of holding a grudge for long," Touma told her with a laugh.

"You got that right," Yang confirmed and even chuckled at this. "She's pretty trusting. That's not necessarily a good thing though." She glanced at her little sister. "You better not get into strange vans with people offering you cookies."

"I'm not a dog, Yang," Ruby huffed and rolled her eyes.

"So what kind of things did you tell the headmaster?" Weiss asked Neo, determined to keep the conversation on track. Blake was listening eagerly, as any news on the White Fang left in Vale interested her greatly. Neo's response was to smirk smugly at her and hold up the display.

' _Classified, told not to talk about it.'_

A vein twitched in Yang's head. Weiss didn't look much happier at Neo's response.

"Show them the rules Ozpin set down," Touma suggested to Neo, in order to try to keep the peace. She sighed, clicked her screen a few times, and handed it over to Weiss.

"What's this?" Weiss asked and her brow furrowed as she read the words. "Can't leave school grounds, not allowed her own scroll, and must be accompanied by someone at all times." She looked up at Touma. "And Ozpin gave you these rules?"

"Yeah," Touma confirmed. "He said for now she would be treated as a student like the rest of us, with a few other rules due to her situation." He gestured to the tablet in Weiss's hand. "I know it's asking for a lot, but can you try to get along?"

Neo looked shocked when Touma turned to focus on her and Blake couldn't resist smirking at her expression.

"Here," Weiss said and handed back the tablet to Neo. "It looks like this is really happening."

"Touma's right," Ruby agreed. "Since we are all going to be going to school together, wouldn't it be better to get along? We don't need another Cardin."

"This is a big step from a simple bully to a criminal," Yang spat out and then took a deep breath. "But there's nothing we can do if it's official." She pointed toward her eyes and then at Neo. "I'm keeping my eyes on you. Don't think I forgot what you did to my friends." Neo didn't look apologetic at all to her. "Wait, if she's a student and we have combat class tomorrow..." Yang grinned. "I'm going to see if Goodwitch will let us face off."

"Yang!" Ruby cried indignantly. "We are trying to be friends here. Threatening to beat them up is not a good way to do that!"

' _Besides,'_ Neo typed out. _'I would kick your ass.'_

"It's on," Yang declared and smacked her fist into the palm of her hand. "I hope you don't regret it."

"Children," Weiss groaned. "All of you."

"Tell me about it," Accelerator muttered. The two serious individuals shared another brief moment of unity.

' _If you are done bothering us,'_ Neo told the girls. _'Shouldn't you be going?'_

"Be nice," Touma hissed at her. "They are my friends." Ruby positively beamed at him.

"We should probably let Team JNPR know she's here at least," Blake said to the others. "Otherwise Nora might pull a Yang and attack on sight."

"Pull a Yang?" Yang asked her partner. Blake didn't answer.

"True," Weiss agreed. "Every time someone pulls a Yang, everyone around them gets in trouble."

"When did you two come up with that saying?!" demanded Yang. Neither Blake nor Weiss answered, but gave each other a quick high five.

"You know how many times she got punished in Signal for pulling a Yang?" Ruby asked. "Way too many. Dad keeps bringing it up."

"Is this pick on me day?" Yang asked the room.

"Yes," Accelerator said from his bed. "Every day."

"We got a couple things to talk about here," Touma told the others. "But we can meet you in the cafeteria in like half an hour. Is that fine?"

"Okay," Ruby agreed. "That gives us time to talk to Jaune and the others so they don't freak out. Oh!" She grabbed the basket of goods they brought. It had fallen onto the floor because of Neo's sudden presence. "We brought you guys some housewarming presents."

"Really! Exclaimed MISAKA as MISAKA rushes toward you." Ruby handed her the basket and she immediately started going through it. "Candy, shampoo, a book… what's this? MISAKA asks as MISAKA holds up a crystal." The crystal was glowing slightly green.

"That's a dust crystal," Weiss explained. "Accelerator expressed interest in it, so I added a few samples of the more common, nonvolatile, types."

"Huh." Accelerator actually sat up and looked at them. "That actually might be interesting."

"That's his way of saying thank you, MISAKA reassures you as she translated Accelerator's mannerisms. MISAKA can tell he really likes it."

"Well tell him thanks for me," Weiss said to Last Order. "The rest of his books and your clothes are still in Team JNPR's room to be picked up."

"I still have a hard time seeing how Last Order is so polite and has a sense of humor while living with Accelerator," Yang commented and Ruby shrugged.

"I'm polite and I live with you," Ruby replied. Her smart mouth got her in trouble as Yang grabbed her and start ruffling up her hair. "Stop it! I give! I give!"

"That will teach you to challenge your cool older sister." While all this was happening, Blake snuck over to Touma.

"Listen," she whispered. "I know you want to see the good in her, but you have to be careful. If she does anything even remotely suspicious, you need to let someone know. It can even be our team if you want. We know how to keep a secret."

"I really hope she doesn't," Touma muttered back. "But I'll let you know if anything happens."

"Thanks."

"Hey!" The two of them jumped as Yang addressed them suddenly. "What are you two whispering about?"

"Nothing!" The two of them denied.

"Suspicious." Yang stared thoughtfully at the two of them. Touma gulped as Neo bounded over next to him and made a shooing gesture towards Blake.

' _Don't try anything, he's mine!'_ Blake's eyes narrowed at Neo's words.

"He can talk with whoever he pleases," She replied black evenly.

"Kitty's got claws," Yang whispered to Weiss, who frowned in thought.

"Yeah!" Ruby added, backing up Blake. "He's our friend too."

"Come on," Touma pleaded. "There's nothing to argue about." Neo raised an eyebrow and silently laughed before holding up her tablet again.

' _He and I are a lot closer than you. He even showed me his sword.'_ Blake, Weiss, and Yang froze. Accelerator wasn't watching them and Last Order was too busy examining the gift bag to notice. Ruby, however, tilted her head in confusion and then looked excited.

"Touma has a sword?" Ruby asked enthusiastically and then turned to Touma. "You said you didn't have a weapon!" She accused at a stunned Touma. "Is your sword big? Can it transform into a gun too?!

"W-what?!" Touma spluttered. "I don't have any kind of weapon!"

' _It's also a gun,'_ Neo added and Ruby looked scandalous.

"Why wouldn't you show me something so cool?!" She demanded. This little scene was going on far too long and Touma finally realized what Neo was doing. He turned to her, his face pale.

"Stop making stuff up!" He demanded. Neo only smirked back and hammered in the final nail of the coffin. "She's messing with us on purpose!"

' _He keeps it in his pants because it collapses.'_

"Touma!" Ruby cried. "Let me see-…!"

"NO!"

It wasn't Touma who answered her, not that he wasn't about to. In fact, he was saved by Yang, who grabbed Ruby and pulled her away from him. Weiss's face was bright red and Blake looked furious. Accelerator had actually covered a protesting Last Order's eyes and prevented her from reading Neo's screen. The glare he was giving Touma told him it was all his fault this happened because he couldn't control Neo. The only person who looked happy at that scene was Neo herself.

"Let me go, Yang!" Ruby cried out. "What are you doing?!"

"We're leaving," Yang told her and used her greater strength to prevent Ruby from disobeying. "And you are forbidden from talking to Neo ever again."

"You can't do that!" Ruby protested. "I'm fifteen, not five!"

"And you lack a lot of common sense," Yang muttered. "Weiss, Blake… I'm leaving things to you." They nodded as Yang exited the room with Ruby.

"I just want to see his sword!" Ruby yelled.

"Never say those words about a guy again!" Yang admonished. The moment the door shut behind them, Weiss rounded on Touma and Neo.

"I can't believe you two!" Weiss shouted. "What you do on your own time is one thing, but to talk about it in front of Ruby!"

"We didn't do anything like that!" Touma protested, as Neo laughed silently and wiped a tear from her eyes. "Neo loves embarrassing me! She does it all the time."

 _I can sympathize with him,_ Blake thought. _I hate all of Yang's stupid cat puns._

"Then put your foot down and act like a man!" Weiss told him. Accelerator was watching them highly amused, while Last Order stared at them with her mouth open. "Don't let her do it!"

"How!?" Touma asked. "She can kick my butt up and down the hallway without much trouble."

' _It's true. I can.'_

"Shut it!" Weiss said to Neo. "I have no idea why you followed him to Beacon, but you will not subject me or my team to your vulgar and perverted imagination." She rubbed her nose. "Seriously, I get enough of that from Yang."

 _Weird,_ Blake thought. _From what I heard from Last Order and what I saw, he's actually pretty strong._

' _I followed him because I like him and want to be good so I can stay with him.'_ Weiss's and Blake's eyes widened in shock, but neither of them was as surprised as Touma.

"N-Neo," he stammered. "W-what are you saying?!"

Her response was to lean over and try to plant her lips on his cheek again.

Blake's reflexes were faster.

Touma felt her hand on his sleeve and he was yanked away from Neo.

"Thanks for that, Blake," Weiss said with a nod. "We don't need to see public displays of affection."

"Damn straight," Accelerator growled. Those two really seemed to be hitting it off against their teammates when they were doing something stupid.

"At least that answers a few things," Weiss mumbled to herself and then turned to Accelerator. "What do you think of her answer?"

"I think if she and the damn hero are going to get frisky," he replied. "I'm going to throw the brat into your room and I'm finding somewhere else to sleep."

"Sleepover! MISAKA cheers in excitement. MISAKA doesn't think the Savior and Neo are bad though. People like who they like, MISAKA points out."

"It's… complicated," Weiss sighed, while rubbing her temple. "And I really don't want to stay here much longer."

"See you at dinner then," Blake addressed Touma and turned to leave with Weiss. She made sure to give one last glare at Neo, who didn't miss her expression and retaliated with her own message. It was purposely set up so Touma couldn't see.

' _So, the kitty likes him too? Doesn't matter, I will win.'_

Blake was not amused.

* * *

It had been a long day.

Touma was exhausted while Accelerator was just plain annoyed.

Both had been involved in the breach early that morning and the day kept on dragging ever since. Touma had been questioned for hours and Accelerator had to wait with a swarm of people who just kept talking. After they finally had a chance to have a room to themselves until they learned a wanted criminal was going to bunk with them. Ozpin had only answered a few basic questions and then left, leaving the two of them and Last Order to deal with her. Accelerator, despite resigning himself to sharing the room with Touma, was not pleased with this arrangement, at least not until after he found out the girl was mute. After that, Accelerator actually didn't mind her as much. The fact Neo kept bothering Touma and made him uncomfortable was only icing on the cake.

Then Team RWBY came in and everything went to hell.

 _Finally, they're gone,_ He thought and glanced at Last Order flipping through a book the girls brought. It was an adult adventure novel from what he had glimpsed from it, but Last Order could read well enough. His eyes darted over to Touma, who was trying to reprimand Neo. Based on her amused reaction, things weren't going well. _Control her or I will. The brat doesn't need another role model like Worst._

"You can't keep saying stuff like that to get a rise out of them!" Touma tried to explain to Neo.

' _Why?'_ she asked. ' _It's true.'_

"There's no way someone like you would like someone like me," Touma sighed and rubbed his temple. "I know I'm easy to fool and embarrass, but I'm way too unlucky for a cute girl to like me."

Accelerator rolled his eyes as Neo smiled.

' _Yet you keep complimenting me like you want me to like you.'_

"Gah!" Touma realized what he said while Neo giggled and threw herself over his shoulder.

"Hard to believe someone who stood against the entire world that one time is having problems with a single girl," Accelerator scoffed. "What happened to that bastard who fought against me?"

"I only did that to protect someone," Touma retorted. "I'm not that special."

"Say that shit again and I promise it will be the last thing to come out of your mouth," scoffed Accelerator. "You stood against me three times and came out alive. Most people can't even do that once."

Touma didn't say anything to this, or rather it was more like he couldn't. The only reason he was able to do that was because someone's life was at stake. If someone was in trouble, he would do whatever it took to protect them. He couldn't be everywhere, there were limits since he didn't have any amazing powers, but he did what he could. The actual reasoning didn't matter when he compared them to Accelerator's words. People who normally faced Accelerator were usually decimated and never challenged him again.

"Please keep that to yourself," Touma begged. "I'd rather not explain the situation behind that; it's all in the past anyway."

Accelerator clicked his tongue, but didn't argue.

"MISAKA told them a few things about you, MISAKA says apologetically as MISAKA lowers her head slightly. MISAKA didn't go into details, but they do know you two fought."

"I'll try to pass it off if they ask," Touma sighed. "It's not really important." Accelerator clicked his tongue again annoyed.

This conversation interested Neo greatly.

Touma had revealed his heroic side to her when they first met. Without knowing what the Grimm were or who she was, he bravely threw himself at the monsters. The ability he wielded was powerful, though it could be said due to only working via touch, its applications were limited. Roman knew how to make full use of it. The boy was kind, something that could and had been taken advantage of.

Still, there were times when she felt like he knew things weren't as they appeared. Then there were times she felt her danger sense warn her of him. The time against the Beringel in Mt. Glenn was one example. It felt like the more impossible things got, the greater the odds were that he could do something about it. To quell her curiosity, she had asked him about the friends he was looking for.

The description on Accelerator did not do him justice.

Because Neo was honestly terrified of him.

Even if he seemed laid back, his eyes told a completely different story. She had only seen such intense eyes on one other person and that woman was the one who held the leash on Roman. They were the eyes of a killer. The red coloring of those orbs didn't matter at all, even the Yang girl's red eyes only indicated rage. No, it was the depth of those eyes that revealed Accelerator to be a monster. Neo had been in the business long enough to recognize it.

If she crossed him, she would die. She knew that without question.

 _So why the hell are Touma and the little girl so comfortable around him!?_

That was the main reason she wanted to hear the story. It was sure to be something amazing to turn a monster in human skin into a, kind of, docile individual who watches over a kid. There were still the murderous traits in him that wouldn't go away. Accelerator had told her directly if she so much as threatened Last Order, he would kill her. There would not be any mercy and she believed him completely. The girl might be his weakness if the situation ever called for it and she made a mental note of it for the future. She was planning to ask Touma about how he and Accelerator met once things calmed down and they trusted her more.

"We need to go! MISAKA declares as MISAKA indicates the time with her scroll. Everyone will be waiting for us."

"Yeah, yeah," Accelerator muttered and stood up.

"Neo," Touma pleaded again. "Please… try to get along with them." Neo tilted her head in confusion. "No, they did not appreciate your earlier antics." Neo laughed silently and then nodded. "Thank you."

"You can understand her? MISAKA asks amazed. MISAKA still has to read her messages."

"Kind of?" Touma replied as he and Neo followed Last Order and Accelerator out into the hall. "I've hung around with her long enough to get a general idea most of the time." He glanced over at Neo again. "She still surprises me way too much though." Neo laughed again.

"As far as roommates are concerned," Accelerator commented. "She could be a lot worse. At least she doesn't talk. Still, if you want to pull that shit you did earlier, make sure the brat is not in the room." Neo gave him a salute and he appeared satisfied.

"No!" Touma said quickly. "Can you please not pull that stunt ever again, regardless of who is in the room?" Neo shook her head at him and he sighed. "Such misfortune."

 _He's so cute when he accepts the inevitable,_ Neo thought happily. She accepted the fact she would have to tolerate the presence of the other students from Beacon. It was easy to tell Ruby liked Touma, but she was far too inexperienced in love to take action quick enough. The Blake girl was Neo's true rival. Her actions back in the room indicated such. _Being roommates means I can sneak into his bed with ease. This should be fun._

"What kind of food do you like? MISAKA asks as MISAKA tries to break the tension in the air."

Last Order knew Neo was an ex-criminal and that was supposed to be kept secret from the rest of Beacon. Even so, that didn't stop her from trying to be friends. They were all going to be roommates and Neo was the only other girl. The thought of boys and girls sleeping in the same room still made Last Order blush occasionally when she imagined some things she had seen online. Accelerator had to keep blocking those sites, but her sister Worst kept using her power to unblock them.

' _Ice cream.'_ Neo's response was instantaneous.

"Do you like Neapolitan ice cream? MISAKA asks as MISAKA notices your name is similar." Neo raised an eyebrow and then grinned.

' _Of course. It's the best kind.'_

"MISAKA likes chocolate."

' _Childish.'_

"MISAKA is not childish! MISAKA retorts angrily as MISAKA stomps her feet to indicate her seriousness. Chocolate is just a great flavor!" Her actions served to contradict her statement and caused Neo to laugh at her. They continued their little game with Neo needling Last Order and Last Order seeming to enjoy the attention. Touma took the opportunity to scoot over next to Accelerator.

"Sorry about Neo," Touma apologized. "Thanks for putting up with her." Accelerator clicked his tongue in annoyance that Touma was talking to him. "You sure you are okay with her staying with us? I could ask Ozpin for a different room."

"Man, you're annoying," Accelerator snapped and Touma went silent. "She doesn't talk, so it's fine. The brat could use someone else to talk to. Besides, with her keeping you busy, you won't be bothering me as much."

"Yeah…" Touma wasn't sure how to respond to that statement. It was kind of an insult, but at the same time, Accelerator didn't threaten to kill him. _Baby steps._ "Actually, I'll meet you guys at the cafeteria, need to use the bathroom." Accelerator rolled his eyes while Neo stopped and look as though she was about to turn around. "Go with them," Touma said, trying to prevent the incident from occurring. "I'll see you guys in five minutes." Neo stopped, reluctantly nodded, and followed Last Order. As long as she was with someone, she wouldn't be breaking Ozpin's rules.

Touma had actually planned the timing of this on purpose.

If he had said he needed to use the bathroom, Neo would have waited for him. Accelerator and Last Order would then have left them behind; meaning there was no telling how frisky Neo would be during that time. Her earlier antics told Touma being alone with her right now would be hazardous to his health and sanity. He knew if he dawdled, she would be back looking for him, so he finished his business and made his way to the cafeteria as fast as possible. He really should have walked at a more leisurely pace. About halfway down the stairs, his shoelace came undone and he stepped on it.

There was no way he could stop himself in time.

To make matters worse, a girl had just starting walking up the stairs carrying a stack of papers.

"Look out!" Touma yelled, but there was no time for her to dodge. He crashed into her and they both fell down the stairs and slammed into the floor. Papers flew everywhere and Touma's vision blacked out for a moment. He woke up a second later and groaned. _Ow, my head._ His left hand twitched and he felt something soft in it. Without meaning too, his hand started to rub the fine material. "So soft…" he mumbled and then remembered what happened. Hastily, he pushed himself up and looked at the girl.

She was wearing the standard uniform of Beacon Academy; or what he assumed was standard. The outfit consisted of red plaid skirt, stockings, a brown jacket with a tan vest and a white shirt with a red ribbon tied at the collar.

Those features weren't important though.

What was important was that he recognized her.

The large rabbit ears on her head was recognizable anywhere.

Coincidentally, he had been rubbing her ear with his hand.

"Are you okay?!" Touma asked worriedly, as the girl pushed herself up too.

"I'm fine," the girl reassured him and then blinked when she too recognized him. "Ah! You're the guy from the breach! Team RWBY's and JNPR's friend."

"Yeah, that's me, Touma Kamijou." He couldn't help notice her cute accent, as he reached down and helped her up; being careful to use his left hand. There had been too many accidents already. Once she was on her feet he quickly bowed in apology. "I'm really sorry for crashing into you and also about touching your ears. I know they can be rather sensitive."

It had been drilled into him several times Faunus were usually protective of their animal traits. Ears and tails tended to be rather tender.

"I-it's fine," she replied, almost as embarrassed as Touma was. She couldn't remember the last time someone apologized so sincerely to her. "It was an accident. Besides, it's not like you pulled them." She blushed harder when she remember what he said about them and decided to change the subject. "A-anyways, it's nice to meet you, I'm Velvet Scarlatina." She looked around at the papers scattered everywhere. "Oh, no! I have to get these to Doctor Oobleck!"

"I'll help," Touma offered and started picking up papers.

"Thank you very much." With the two of them working together, they picked up all the scattered papers in only a couple minutes.

"Where are you taking them?" Touma asked. Divided between the two of them, the stacks weren't that cumbersome. For one person, it would be and was why Velvet had been unable to dodge him.

"Just to the staff room," Velvet answered quietly. "It's not that far. You don't need to bother, I can handle it."

"It's no bother," Touma continued. "Besides, it's the least I can do after causing the mess in the first place."

"If you insist," Velvet muttered embarrassed. She wasn't the most social person. Being timid and shy was her default settings and being bullied by some other students didn't help her confidence. This time was like when Jaune saved her. Touma was just a nice person willing to help out. "Thank you again." The two of them set off in awkward silence. Touma felt bad for knocking her over and Velvet wasn't sure what to say.

"So…er…" Touma started off lamely. "Which team are you part of?"

"Oh," Velvet squeaked softly. "I'm part of Team CFVY. We are a second year team and Coco Adel is our leader. You saw her before, right? She likes to wear brown, sunglasses, and a beret."

"Ah… yeah. I remember her." Touma nodded at this. "Didn't get a chance to meet her before everyone split up."

"She's really outgoing," Velvet said. "A little too much sometimes and likes to push me outside of my comfort zone. You can't really argue with her." Touma laughed at this and she looked at him curiously.

"Sorry," Touma apologized quickly. "Just reminds me of two of my friends back home. They do the same thing." Velvet giggled and Touma had a sudden foreboding if his friend, Pierce Aogami, found out about Velvet. _I actually met a real bunny girl and she's cute. He's going to kill me if he finds out._ "Guess you find people like that everywhere."

"She only does it to help me build confidence," Velvet added quickly to prevent any misunderstandings. "I appreciate it, but I'm not the most social person… if you couldn't tell."

"Really?" Touma glanced over at her. "You're still talking to me after I ran you over." She couldn't resist laughing at this.

"You have me there," she admitted. "But that's just because you were kind enough to help me out. It would be rude to ignore you." She averted eye contact at this.

Touma didn't have anything to say to that and they traveled the rest of the way to Bartholomew's classroom in an uncomfortable silence. The second they entered, Touma only saw a blur before a green haired man with glasses was right in front of them. The yellow tie he wore stood out against his white shirt.

"Ah, Velvet. I was wondering why you were 6 minutes and 42 seconds late. Who is this young man? He looks familiar, but I don't believe he is a student here." His words weren't a blur, but came out at a speed Touma thought was impossible without getting tongue tied.

"Doctor," Velvet introduced. "This is Touma Kamijou. Touma, this is Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck. He teaches history."

"AH!" Before Touma could do anything, Bartholomew shifted directly in front of him and leaned forward to get a good look. "You must be the young man who Team RWBY and Team JNPR talked about during our mission to Mt. Glenn. Yes, upon closer inspection you do look oddly familiar. I apologize for not recognizing you sooner. Peter and I were preoccupied reigning in the last few Grimm still in Vale. Your assistance was most valuable in pugging up the breach while help arrived to formally seal it off."

"It wasn't as heroic as you make it out to be," Touma mumbled. "I'm sorry for making Velvet late. I accidently bumped into her and caused a big mess with the papers."

"The fact you stayed and helped tells much about your character," Bartholomew reassured him and gestured to his desk. "Go ahead and set them there."

As Touma and Velvet set down the papers, Bartholomew's words were lost on one of them, but not the other. Velvet was a Faunus and that caused some people to treat her with disrespect based solely on the fact she had bunny ears. Touma willing to help her without any issue meant he didn't see her as a lesser being.

"It's a pleasure to formally meet you, Mr. Kamijou."

"Nice to meet you too, sir." Touma held out his left hand, which Bartholomew grasped with both of his enthusiastically.

"Ah, manners." Bartholomew almost shed a tear. "Usually lost on the youth of today." His voice snapped back to a more business tone. "I heard from Ozpin that you are going to be a temporary student. Is that correct?"

"Yes," Touma confirmed.

"Excellent." Bartholomew virtually beamed at him. "While I am currently busy grading papers and preparing for my next lesson, I hope you will be able to find some time to visit me. Your power is a marvel I would love to discuss more in depth. The ability to repel Grimm could change the world. No longer will land be scarce, populations holed up in defendable locations, and funds can be used to help provide for the people, rather than focused only on war."

"If I can help achieve that," Touma told him. "I would be glad to help, but I really need to go and meet up with my friends. Maybe next time?"

"Of course," Bartholomew agreed and zipped over to behind his desk in an instant. "Thank you for your help, Velvet. That will be all for today."

"Understood, goodbye doctor," She replied and left with Touma not too far behind.

"Does he talk that fast in lessons?" Touma asked in a combination of exhaustion and nervousness.

"He does," Velvet confirmed. "Since you're a student now, I advise learning how to write shorthand or you will fall behind."

"Argh!" Touma moaned and face palmed. "It was hard enough keeping up with my teacher back home who spoke at a normal place." Velvet forced a smile, unsure of what else to do.

 _From what Ruby and the others told us,_ Velvet thought to herself. _I thought this guy would be a lot more… assertive? He acts like a normal civilian who just got dragged up in this mess. Though, if that Torchwick guy did find him first and wanted to use his power, that makes sense._ While Touma muttered something about luck, she observed him closely. _What did Fox see in him that caused him to label this boy a monster? He seems way too nice to even think about hurting others. Even when he rubbed my ears he was gentle…_ Her face burned at the thought. _That was an accident and he even apologized. Now if Jaune wanted to rub them… Coco must never know I thought that._

"Are you heading to the cafeteria?" Velvet asked Touma, deducing where he was heading and looking for a reason to break the silence.

"Meeting my friends there," Touma answered. "You're welcome to come if you want."

"I'm heading there as well," Velvet said apologetically. "But I'm meeting my own team. They will get worried if I'm gone too long."

"Umm," Touma fidgeted for a moment. "Are Faunus treated that differently in Beacon? I'm sure you heard of my… circumstances and just wanted to see if it's better here."

"Most of Beacon is fine with Faunus," Velvet confirmed, although her face did darkened. "But there are a few people who really dislike and actively pick on us. If we fight back, they just use that as a reasoning to insult us and say we are violent."

"That's terrible," growled Touma. _I thought for sure Ozpin wouldn't allow that._

"The fact you and so many others think so gives us hope," Velvet reassured him. "Many of those who joined the White Fang came from worse areas then I have. Violence won't solve our problems in the long run, so we have convinced others that we deserve respect just as much as they do."

"…someone else I know said something similar," Touma agreed, careful to avoid saying Blake's name. "I don't like the fact that people are getting bullied, but I do understand why you do it this way."

"Thanks," Velvet told him, as they reached the cafeteria. "I'll see you around. Let me know if you need help with Oobleck's class. I've gotten pretty good at taking notes."

"That would be great!" Touma told her enthusiastically.

He looked around when they pushed open the doors and saw Ruby and Jaune waving at him from the far side of the room. Jaune was a lot more noticeable due to his height, but Touma wasn't going to tell him that. As he approached, he saw both their teams and his own pseudo-team. Neo was at the far end, most likely not wanting to be surrounded by the others. Accelerator and Last Order were across from her and they were next to Weiss and Ruby. Touma knew it would take time for the others to relax their guard around Neo. It was only natural after what happened in the train.

He had to thank Ruby for trying.

He might have been imagining it, but he could have sworn he saw Neo and Blake watching him closely. He passed it off quickly enough because his thoughts were on the girl he just met.

Jaune had also waved to Velvet, who acknowledged it with her own, before she headed to her team in other part of the cafeteria. She smiled to herself that Jaune still recognized her and made an effort to keep up contact. When she drew near her destination, her danger sense went off. Yatsuhashi was eating unperturbed and Fox was 'staring' at Touma. Fox still didn't seem to trust him, but was at least not actively trying to turn people against him. The problem was her team leader.

Coco had lowered her shades and was giving Velvet a huge grin.

It didn't take a genius to figure out why.

 _Oh, no,_ Velvet thought and her face turned ashen. _She saw me enter with Touma. Great… Time to put up with her questioning._

* * *

"Give me one reason why your head should still be attached to your neck!" Adam roared, a long red blade positioned a hair's breadth away from Roman's neck.

"No need to get so hasty," Roman said quickly, his hands in the air. "There's no way I could have predicted Beacon would send a couple Hunter groups to Mt. Glenn. It was either push our plans up or let it all become worthless."

"So your defense is something was better than nothing," A sultry woman said as she stepped out from the shadows. Her striking bright amber eyes gazing impassively at Roman through the fringes of her ashen-black hair. "I suppose that excuse is enough to keep your head from rolling for your blunder."

She wore a dark-red, off-the-shoulders, V-neck mini dress with yellow designs. There was a blue feather-like accessory on her right hip, at the top of an open portion of her dress. The dress ended in an upside-down triangular tail in the back, ending just above the knees.

"Ah, Cinder!" Roman was putting up a good pretense of maintaining his normal obnoxious self, but Cinder was not someone he would piss off. She killed countless people in his organization to garner his attention and forced him to work for her on the promise of money and that his life would be spared. "About time you showed up. Being kept in the dark was making me nervous."

"You lost a lot of my men with your foolish antics," Adam growled at Roman.

"Those brats caused most of the damage," Roman pointed out reasonably, yet sporting a cheshire grin on his lips. "I gave the order to abandon ship before the train crashed. How many of your men were spared because of my quick thinking?" Adam clenched his free hand tightly into a fist, but lowered his blade. His lieutenant had confirmed that piece of information. "Giving up so easily? Did you already know? I bet you just wanted a reason to blame m-…"

"Enough," Cinder interrupted. She didn't have to yell for Roman to shut up instantly. "Adam, I take it your losses will not affect our plans?"

"No," Adam answered. "If anything, it emboldened my troops. They know Vale is not invincible and its laws will not protect them from us."

"Then there is no problem," Cinder stated calmly. "While I would have preferred to have arrived at Beacon before this occurred, what's done is done. We will continue as planned. People are scared and we will make use of that. The moment they forget, we return and all their security will be lost." She snapped her fingers and two people emerged behind her, one male and one female. "Mercury, have the loose ends been taken care of?"

"Yes," The well-built young man with grey hair answered. His hair was unkempt in the front and slick in the back. He wore a slate gray and black two-tone partial-zip jacket, which covered his upper body. "There were two White Fang deserters who wanted to tell the authorities about us. I silenced them. They squealed like pigs. Turns out they might have been lovers."

"I trust that was acceptable?" Cinder asked Adam. "Since you were occupied with your own duties?"

"Deserters must be punished," Was all Adam had to say about the subject.

"Now, Roman." Cinder turned to him. "I can overlook the unfortunate situation caused by Beacon's intrusion. What I can't overlook is you keeping secrets from me."

"Secrets?" Roman asked confused. "I have no idea what you mean."

"Emerald," Cinder ordered and the young girl with green hair stepped up next to her. "When you picked up that last dust shipment, what did you see?"

"The Grimm around the plateau were not approaching," Emerald recited. Her attire consisted of an intricate white top and an olive-colored crop top. She also wore white pants and brown chaps that ended at her calves and an overlong belt, twice-wrapped, where she kept her weapons as well as a single pouch. "Later information revealed a human boy was the cause of it."

"A human with the power to repel Grimm," Cinder repeated and placed a hand on Roman's cheek. "Would you care to tell me why I wasn't informed?"

"There was no real reason to," Roman pointed out. "The kid's power was merely convenient for me to carry out your plans. Other than that, he was mostly just Neo's plaything."

"It's not up to you to decide what I need to know," Cinder told him firmly, her eyes flashing. "Something that unique should be passed on to me immediately." She sighed and stepped away from him. "But I suppose it's too late for me to see him as I am. Ozpin undoubtedly brought him into Beacon if he survived. He did survive, correct?"

"Yeah," Roman confirmed. "Pretty surprised myself. He has a good head on his shoulders."

Adam was the only one who knew Roman did not tell Cinder everything. The boy could negate dust and Aura, something only a few people knew now and Adam forbade his men from talking about it. It was a human problem, so he didn't have to concern himself with it.

"Oh, since you were quiet, I took the liberty of making a deal in order to acquire us future information." Roman added. "I hope you don't mind."

"A deal?" Cinder raised an eyebrow. "At what cost?"

"A couple warehouses that were bound to be taken in a raid at some point." Roman chuckled. "Might as well throw them away to achieve an objective."

"That was you!?" Adam roared suddenly and Roman ducked as the blade scrapped the wall where his head had been. "I lost dozens of men and a warehouse full of dust because of that!"

"Enough!" Cinder raised her voice and everyone froze. Her eye began to glow and fire appeared in her hand. "Adam, let him explain himself before you kill him."

"Now, now, let's take it easy here," Roman interjected, nervousness beginning to permeate his voice. "I managed to accomplish two things in regards to giving up a few mutts and some dust."

"Such as?" Cinder asked impatiently.

"Neo is now officially a student at Beacon Academy," Roman answered and twirled his cane around. "I set up a spy who can give us information on the students, staff, and layout of the school. Plus, she's going to be the one being watched, so when you three infiltrate, eyes won't be on you."

The girl known as Emerald was the only one who noticed.

Cinder was a genius in manipulation and subterfuge. Her plans were elaborate and Emerald had never seen one fail. Sure, there would be hiccups now and then, but Cinder always accounted for them. Emerald and Mercury had been recruited to her cause for multiple reasons, Emerald being the first. With the power Cinder possessed, along with her intelligence, it was hard to truly impress her. There was occasionally an interest or mild amusement when someone tried.

The gleam in Cinder's eyes said otherwise this time.

Roman had actually impressed her.

"Tell me more," Cinder told him, pleased. "This might be the best thing you have told me to date."

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **I had to have Velvet and Touma meet. Now I need to set up Accelerator for a couple interesting scenes. His personality makes some things difficult, but not impossible.**

 **SF88: Can we just take a moment to acknowledge how awesome Neo is in this chapter?**

 **Current Ship Names:**

 **Touma and Yang: Fistbump / Punchline/ Imagine Dragon/ Love at First Punch/ Hair You Go Again**

 **Touma and Weiss: Cool to the Touch / Princess and the Pauper / Shattered Mirror**

 **Touma and Ruby: Blossoming / Thorny Rose / Speedy Rescue / Innocently Indecent/ Nectar of the Gods**

 **Touma and Blake: Nine Lives / Bad Luck / Kami-Nyaan / Equality**

 **Touma and Velvet: Bunny Couple / Rabbit's Foot/ Lucky Number Zero/ Camera Shy**

 **Touma and Penny: Android's Dream / Faulty Electronics/ Lost Change**

 **Touma and Ren: Lotus Fist**

 **Touma and Jaune: Better Luck Next Time/ Lifesavers**

 **Touma and Nora: Glutton for Punishment / Divine Sparks**

 **Touma and Pyrrha: Babe Magnet/ Dense Armaments**

 **Touma and Coco: Black Coffee/ Stylish Illusion**

 **Touma and Fox: Eye-Caramba**

 **Touma and Glynda: Teacher's Pet / Promise Lands/ Dunce Cap**

 **Touma and Ozpin: Broken Replay Button/ Unknown Paragons**

 **Touma and Adam: Chronic Crusaders/ Prick and the Pauper**

 **Touma and Emerald: Shattered Illusions / Illusion Breaker / Portmanteau Poverty**

 **Touma and Twins: Triple Threat / Cerberus**

 **Touma and Cinder: Through the Fire and Flame / Fire Demons / Sinner and Savior/ A Match Made In Hellfire**

 **Touma and Neo: Uncertain Flavor / Breaking Reality/ Stockholm Slasher Romance**

 **Touma and Roman: Corruption of the Innocent**

 **Touma and Salem: Burning Witch / Light and Shadow / Shattering Darkness/ Grimm Chances of Survival / Darklight**

 **Touma and Summer: Summer Break.**

 **Touma and Raven: Alpha and Omega/ Feather for Brains**

 **Touma and Qrow: Misfortune Squared / Bad luck Charms / Misfortunate Misfits**

 **Accelerator and Weiss: Cold and Calculating / Ice Vector / A Frosty Reception/ Porcelain Complexion**

 **Accelerator and Yang: Road Rage / Short Fuse / Way of the Dragon/ War of the Red Eyes / Push Button to Die**

 **Accelerator and Ruby: One-Way Rose / No Brakes / Rose Manipulation**

 **Accelerator and Blake: Twilight Arrow / Chain and Sickly / Chasing Shadows**

 **Accelerator and Nora: Shattered Bones / Broken Dreams / Nerve Impulse/ Going the Distance**

 **Accelerator and Velvet: White Flash / Hopping Mad / Unsuspecting Prey**

 **Accelerator and Glynda: Fix and Destroy**

 **Accelerator and Penny: String Theory/ Broken Toys/ Science Experiments**

 **Accelerator and Sun: Sunny and Sullen**

 **Accelerator and Adam: Charging Bull/ Rabid Animals**

 **Accelerator and Mercury: Killer Moves**

 **Accelerator and Emerald: Red Eyed Killers/ After Image**

 **Accelerator and Coco: Fashionable Disaster/ Fashion is a Science**

 **Accelerator and Pyrrha: Opposites Attract/ Copper Aftertaste**

 **Accelerator and Raven: Yang's Nightmare/ Fallen Feathers**

 **Accelerator and Neo: Sadistic Streaks**


	21. Rocky Road

**This chapter took a lot longer to finish than it should have. I had been writing a lot less the last couple of weeks due to allergies. The one thing I hate about spring. I was imitating a foghorn for days and my head felt like it was being beaten like a bongo. Then SilverFang had some car trouble and couldn't review for a couple days. To top it off, the new God of War game came out and that distracted him again. Things kept delaying the release of this chapter, but we finally got it out. The plot is beginning to move again in this chapter, along with some character development. It's only a matter of time until things start going haywire. Time to answer all the comments and then to the main event. There were a lot of comments.**

 **Sergio644: Neo is just a great girl and Ruby is so innocent, even if she isn't stupid.**

 **dickythamrin077: Twins won't show up until they go back to Junior's club for some reason. Don't think Othinus will appear in this story. If she does, it will be near the end.**

 **HikariNiwa: Cute, smart, and deadly; a dangerous combination.**

 **Inacio: Yes. Maybe. Probably. That definition was kind of what I was going for. Nah, Pyrrha needs to learn on her own.**

 **G119: A good story requires a strong foundation.**

 **Ahsoei: She's obviously multitasking. Spy for Roman, tease Touma, get free schooling and the chance to annoy the other girls.**

 **guest: Caught that small detail, did you?**

 **LL: Lessar would teach the other girls a thing or two and make Yang reconsider what age is appropriate for such things. Touma tried to capture the heart of a Wild Velvet, but her favorite person was nearby. Oh man, Tsuchimikaido teaming up with those two? Someone would die in the end from embarrassment. Neo is really good at pissing Yang off. Touma's hand might become important to Cinder once she investigates.**

 **Khorale: I don't know if it's tolerant? I think it's simply she is a lot less annoying than the others to him.**

 **Wrandral: Yes. Yes it will.**

 **zek-xz: Touma is always in the wrong place at the right time. From what Rooster Teeth has said about her, she's kind of unstable. She's also Roman's number one assassin and no doubt has tortured quite a bit of people. If you get on her bad side, you die. Accelerator isn't actually untouchable, you just have to either have a very unusual ability or find a way around his filter. Everyone wants Cardin vs Touma, but you have to realize Cardin wields a large mace capable of crushing poor Touma. Even though Cardin is a lot weaker than the main cast, except for Jaune, he's still a trained fighter. Touma would not stand a chance in a real fight. Maiden vs IB and Skinny White Boy vs Ancient Grimm. Place your bets now.**

 **Cthulujr: You bring up an interesting point. That might be an underlying reason for his tolerance. Accelerator with a heart of gold? Okay… I can see how you would come up with that. Still, that's not something people associate with him.**

 **Guest: Heh, SilverFang fell for it too during his review. He got a good laugh from it.**

 **RandomReview: RWBY asked, but Accelerator wouldn't answer and Last Order said it was classified. Touma is really good at making the bad girls turn good. He needs to meet Cinder's and Raven's crew. I put the names at the end for that very reason. People don't have to read them there. As for reviews, I'm a firm believer if people take the time to review, I should acknowledge them. I have a plan for a dragon encounter, but I can't do it often or it loses impact.**

 **tierboook: Uh huh. As for rescue party, I figured that will happen eventually, but it will be closer to the end. There are TONS of RWBY characters to use.**

 **mervinr170: Right now.**

 **Kuvukiland: It's more some people expect perfection, advanced plot, and characters perfectly in character in every scene. I do what I can and if people enjoy it, just makes the effort worthwhile. This is by far my most popular story.**

 **furukawa023: Emerald should be his next target, or Cinder.**

 **TykkiMikk: Someone needs to reprimand Accelerator when he acts like a brat. He probably likes it because it's almost like someone cares enough to try to correct him.**

 **JumpingToaster: Roman will do what he is best at: lie, chest, and survive. You know he never liked working for Cinder, but it was either that or death. Animal saying isn't so much that Roman hates Faunus. He insults everyone under him. A Faunus of equal standing would get a lot more respect. Neo is a very self-serving individual. As long as she doesn't have to choose, she can have her fun. The question would be who she decides to go with if she is forced to make that choice. Wait until she finds out about how Touma and Accelerator truly met and why they fought. I can see Yang and Qrow not being happy Ruby is falling for a hero-type. It led Summer to her death because she took that path. Fate and destiny for sure.**

 **Guest: Maybe? Since I can make up whatever I want and no one can contradict me, the cast may find out another reason. Touma will meet Tsune when he gets injured.**

 **Guest: I really should do some more Omakes. I was only going to do them when a chapter fell short, but all the recent ones have been about equal length and flowing well. That is a pretty funny Omake and I'll keep it in mind. Neo is strong, but she's not invincible. Experience has told her who and who not to mess with. Accelerator falls into the obvious category.**

 **Bluejack222: Neo is a great spy.**

 **Oracle14: Some people expected it and some didn't. It makes perfect sense though.**

 **Guest: Aogami would be PISSED.**

 **Adv: Thanks.**

 **Handsomistic1: A respectable time. Ruby is so innocent. Velvet's camera will not be able to mimic the IB, but she could mimic his fighting style, if you can call it that. Touma wins with a single hit in combat class, but he doesn't have Aura to protect him. He probably will have to be sidelined.**

 **Maxxuzumaki: Accelerator will definitely stand out a lot more than Touma will.**

 **Firlz: Come up with one.**

 **Neema Amiry: Thanks.**

 **HydraLightning: SilverFang yells at me for harem routes. Something about being indecisive.**

 **Fernandamichelleraya: The reason Accelerator trusted him was because he had no choice back in the Emerald Forest. Jaune was the first person he saw before collapsing. When he woke up, he found out Last Order was safe and liked to hang out with Jaune and Weiss. Between those two, Weiss is a lot more uptight than Jaune, so at first that would come off annoying to Accelerator. That left Jaune being the one he could trust the most. Black Sun is popular because it's pretty much Blake's healthiest canon pairing. I supported Arkos and then season 3 happened. With so many different characters and how their personalities are, large group scenes are tough to get everyone to react. Accelerator will not hesitate to kill if it's to protect Last Order. His eyes reflect that and Neo senses it. While Blake and Neo fight, Ruby sneaks in for the win. It's after the docks, but then the timeline got pushed for a few weeks. Touma's presence allowed the White Fang to finish faster and caused more Grimm to congregate nearby, prompting an emergency mission. This caused the villains to not yet be prominent enough to join in the breach. They will arrive at Beacon soon. Accelerator loves them all obviously.**

 **M1nhTre37: I don't have any plans to end this anytime soon.**

 **Zenkichi: Touma can charm anyone.**

 **ToAnon: Some of those are WAAAAYYY off. Others are right on the money. I can't really say which ones because that would be huge spoilers for a lot of people. Let's just say at least one of them is spot on and will happen next arc.**

 **A certain guest: Touma can't beat any Hunter or Huntress in a straight up fight. They are trained fighters while he only has basic street fighter skills. Bullets will still hurt him. Touma can't block bullets and the LN has proven they are an effective counter against him. Pyrrha would own him. Ruby would lose in H2H, as the fight in Mount Glenn proved. Jaune could actually beat Touma, since he has had his aura the least amount of time and would be more used to not having it. Maybe someone could teach him some fighting skills…. Hint hint. Mikoto would just love Touma asking her to spar with him so he could practice grappling. Won't be much training if she keeps freezing up in the middle of a fight. I wonder what weapon Touma would accept from Ruby, maybe a shield that turns into rifle? She knows the birds and bees, but not all the euphemisms. It's part of her innocence. Once someone suggests that Neo was referring to a different type of sword, she's going to be mortified.**

 **Croniklerx: Everyone gets busy at some point. If Last Order was only older it would be the perfect team. Well, Neo only knows him for a short time and still has her entire history with Roman. It will take a little more effort to break those bonds. Maybe saving her again after she betrays everyone to show her that he still believes she can change. Ozpin makes a lot of mistakes for the purpose of protecting humanity. Sometimes, he has to gamble. Trying to decide when their accident occurs. Touma will become a living legend. If he lives, because you know, Glynda might kill him. I think Emerald will go first for a specific reason. Cinder wants to lay low. Mercury will record the incident and watch it twenty times a day. Jaune's not mean like that. Ren might if Nora falls for Touma though, but I don't think his power works on couples who are a perfect match. For reviews, I tend to filter the last chapter to locate the first review easier. Yang x Aogami would be a good ship. You and your male x male ships. I trolled a lot of people with Touma's little rubbing scene. For that last line… do you really want to know?**

 **A certain guest: Finally, some Summer pairings.**

 **Guest: Roman lies, but a good lie always has a grain of truth.**

 **Formboy1: That skin there… will happen at the end of the story. It has to because it's so perfect.**

 **WiliamZ0: You pointed out a lot of good possibly events that will happen at Beacon. Fighting monsters aside, they are all teenagers and are proved hormonal acts. Ruby and Touma making something is bound to happen eventually. It just seems natural.**

 **NJred2000: Mmmm, probably won't. I'm not a huge BNHA fan.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: I kind of don't want them to. Fighting for Touma's hand will be much more interesting. Heh, bunch of women on both sides fighting for his hand. Hehehe.**

 **Shikaku Zetsumei: Your hate makes me stronger. Always a proud moment when you get someone into a fandom with a fanfic.**

 **Xpegasox: That is a popular choice.**

 **ToAnon: Huh, did not notice that.**

 **Elias: I always found Accelerator easy to write and he has a lot of potential for character development. These two universes did merge together unusually well.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

A sharp beeping punctuated the silence.

Accelerator half groaned, half growled and swung his hand down to silence his Scroll. It was too damn early for him. He sat up and rubbed his eyes; once again asking the question of why he willingly went along with the pretense of being a student at Beacon. The lessons were pointless to him. He already showed his combat prowess was light years ahead of the others and the history of Remnant was useless.

Once Ozpin found a way back home for them, he could forget this dreary place existed. Maybe the medical facilities back home could fix the hormone problem the whack job doctor did. Trying to ignore the girls' useless chatter was incredibly difficult when his body kept trying to get involved in its own way. He yawned and glanced over at the bed next to him where Last Order was sleeping.

At least, where she was _supposed_ to be sleeping.

His eyes shot open and he looked around. The only two people in the room were Touma and Neo. The former was beginning to get up after hearing Accelerator's alarm. The latter only pulled the blankets over her head in irritation. Accelerator turned his head toward the bathroom and registered the door was open and the lights were off. The brat wasn't there either. He kicked off the blankets and threw shoe at Touma.

"Bastard." He growled. "Get up, the brat's missing; be useful and help me find her."

"Last Order is gone?" Touma said groggily and then shook his head. "She's not in the bathroom?"

"No, you idiot." Spat out Accelerator as he quickly got dressed. He didn't care that the stupid school uniform he got wasn't neat. All he had to do was get it on. "If she was, I wouldn't be wasting time talking to you."

"Then I bet she left the room for some reason and got lost." Touma said and began to throw his own uniform on.

"Pretty much what I was thinking." Accelerator agreed. "There are some bastards here, so I have to find her."

"Neo," Touma said to the girl. "Get up. We need to find Last Order." The lump under the covers didn't move. Apparently, Neo was not a morning person. "Okay, I'll be back in a few. Just… don't leave the room without me or Accelerator. Remember those rules?" A hand stuck out of the sheets and began to shoo him away. He took that as a sign of consent and prepared to leave with Accelerator. "Man, I hope she stays behind; there's going to be way too much trouble for me if she doesn't."

"Stupid brat forgot her Scroll." Accelerator muttered, ignoring Touma, and picked up the Scroll. "Can't even contact her."

He left the room and Touma followed after him.

"Maybe she's with Ruby's or Jaune's team?" Touma suggested. "I saw how much she bonded with them yesterday."

Accelerator's steps faltered for a fraction of a second and then he nodded.

"Right." Accelerator agreed sharply. "For some reason, she's gotten incredibly attached to the Snow Angel."

"Why do you and Jaune keep calling Weiss, Snow Angel?" Asked Touma as the two of them headed to Team RWBY's room.

"I do it because it annoys her." Accelerator answered. "The idiot calls her that because he likes her."

"Did you try calling the others by their names?" Touma suggest. "You might get closer to them that way."

"Listen." Accelerator growled at him, as he swiveled around and grabbed Touma's collar. "I put up with that shit from the brat, but I don't have to take it from you. Friends this, friends that. Listen, hero, once that bastard Ozpin finds a way to send us home, we aren't going to see any of them again. The brat is going to bawl her eyes out when it's time to leave and I'll have to put up with it for god knows how long. There's no point in getting close to anyone you are just going to leave behind."

He muttered another curse under his breath and let Touma go. He turned and continued walking while Touma stood there, momentarily stunned.

"Isn't that just… your opinion?" Touma asked and Accelerator froze. "You will still have the memories with everyone. And I can tell you, those are precious things that you take for granted until they're gone. Trust me, I can speak from experience on that." He gulped when Accelerator turned slightly to glare at him. "However, it sounds like you are just creating excuses to avoid getting close to people. Those names you call everyone, you use it as a shield."

"Shut it." Accelerator hissed. "What the fuck do you know about me? I've dealt with being used by countless people pretending to understand and respect me."

"I've been used by plenty of people before as well." Touma pointed out. "Why do you think I get sucked into all this weird stuff?"

Accelerator almost chuckled at that… almost.

"I've had friends before." Accelerator spat out. "And they turned and ran when my ability developed. Nearly killed them when I discovered it. Now every piece of trash in existence just finds me to prove themselves or falsely believes it will make them stronger. I've lived a good number of years without friends; I don't need them. However, that brat has gone through so much shit because of me. I put up with them because they make her happy, at least until she has to say goodbye."

"Goodbyes are hard." Touma admitted with a frown. "Everyone knows that; especially when you know it's likely the last chance you'll ever get to see them. But what sounds better to you? A bitter goodbye that's filled with regrets or one with tears, smiles and no regrets? If I have to choose one, then I'll gladly take the second option. It'll hurt, but at least I can reflect on these moments without feeling too sad."

"Knock off the sappy bullshit, hero." Accelerator snapped. _You might as well go fuck one of them._

"I feel I should also point out nicknames are usually what friends give to other friends." Touma said, knowing he was putting his life on the line. "So I think you're subconscious wants to be friends with them. Are you scared of that?"

"Do you want to die?" Accelerator asked, flexing his fingers. The air around him began to spin.

"Let's not get hasty!" Touma answered alarmed and held out his hand. "Besides, we are here already."

He pointed toward Team RWBY's door. Surprisingly, it was open a crack and they could hear voices.

"Time to see if those annoyances have seen the brat." Accelerator mumbled and reached for the door.

Every alarm went off in Touma's mind at this. Way too often, opening doors to girls' room ended up with him getting hurt.

"Wait!"

He cried and reached forward, but he was a second too late. The door flew open and Accelerator stepped into the entrance way.

"Is the brat here!?" Accelerator demanded and Touma found himself right behind him.

No answer was given, as Last Order was sitting at the edge of Blake's bed in plain sight. The other four girls were there too and everyone froze when the two boys appeared. Weiss and Ruby were dressed and standing, while Blake was sitting on her bed, legs pulled up to avoid kicking Last Order. Naturally, she was reading a book but looked up when the door opened. Everything turned awkward because of Yang. She had just stepped out of the bathroom.

Topless.

It was lucky she had her bra on, mostly thanks to Weiss's incessant nagging when they first became roommates. Otherwise the two boys would have gotten a full view.

Not that it was really much better to the girls.

"Er…," Touma began as his eyes widened and he turned into a deer in headlights.

"Tsk." Accelerator clicked his tongue. "Is there any world where women know how to lock a damn door?"

The girls snapped back to reality.

"Get out!" They yelled and a soup bottle flew at the boys. It missed Accelerator, but Touma wasn't nearly as lucky. The full container hit him in the face and knocked him back. Ruby appeared at the door in an instance and slammed it shut.

"That's why you knock." Touma muttered with a groan and rubbed his aching face.

"They should know better." Snapped Accelerator. "Not like anyone would want to see that bitch naked."

"What was that!?" Came an enraged yell from behind the closed door. "You want to say that again, Beansprout!? Every boy in the school would kill to have seen that!"

Touma saw a shadow of a grin form on Accelerator's face. Little did he know, Accelerator had been momentarily stunned by the sight and used the insults to play it off. The two of them headed back to their room, now that Last Order was found. Touma only wanted to get away from the danger zone and Accelerator didn't have anything else to really do.

Inside Team RWBY's dorm, things were a lot more hectic.

"Stop, you dunce!" Weiss yelled at Yang. "Don't open that door!"

"I'm going to kill him!"

"Yang, shirt!" Ruby yelled.

She was the one desperately clinging to Yang to stop her from opening that door and stepping out into the hall. Her words got through to her sister and Yang came to a halt.

"Ah, right." Yang muttered and chuckled. "Can't give the boys a free show. You know Vomit Boy would probably pass out if he saw." She started rummaging through her clothes. "Need to think of some good material to tease them with after we meet up with them."

Her eyes flashed red, something Ruby noticed.

"It was an accident." She said softly.

"I can forgive Touma, his reaction was understandable." Yang stood up once she got her uniform on. "Accelerator, he's getting the full Yang Experience."

"Do we have to listen too?" Weiss asked. "I rather not listen to your jokes all morning."

"Too late, Ice Queen." Yang declared. "No one insults my looks and gets away with it."

"MISAKA realized she should have left a note for Accelerator, MISAKA mutters as MISAKA stares at the floor in shame."

"Yes, that would have been better." Blake remarked in agreement.

* * *

Team JNPR could tell at breakfast something was up.

Team RWBY was sitting with the members of Team TAN. This name was a joke made up by Nora last night by using the first initials of Touma, Accelerator, and Neo. Last Order was too young to fight Grimm, so her name was allowed to be excluded. Their name made a color so Nora prided herself on it. No one voiced any objections, so her suggestion stood. When JNPR sat down, the tension in the air was palpable. Team RWBY was deliberately avoiding eye contact with Accelerator and Touma. Blake had the easiest time doing so, as her nose was buried in a book. The two boys were eating silently, though there was a small discoloration on Touma's cheek.

Neo was poking it constantly, which was causing Touma to flinch.

"What's going on?" Pyrrha asked, as she set down her tray.

"Nothing!" Yang and Weiss stated immediately. Nora raised an eyebrow and, it was only thanks to Ren pushing her tray of pancakes down in front of her, that her questions remained unasked.

"O…kay?" Jaune said and sat down.

' _They won't tell me!'_ Neo fumed, as she held up her tablet to team JNPR. _'Something happened this morning.'_

"Was it fun?" Nora asked, through a mouthful of food.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Ren scolded lightly.

"Sorry, Renny." Nora apologized, almost spraying him with food.

"I take it this incident involved both of their teams." Ren added, glancing from Touma and Accelerator, to Weiss and Yang.

Blake wasn't looking up from her book and Ruby was hiding her face with her hood.

"MISAKA can safely say nothing important happened, MISAKA lies as MISAKA shakes her head. Nope. Nothing at all!"

Accelerator and Yang face palmed, while Weiss rubbed the bridge of her nose. Ruby and Touma sunk further down in their seats.

"Was it serious?" Pyrrha asked. "Anyone hurt?"

"No." Yang answered.

"So what happened?" Jaune asked, digging into his cereal.

"Stupidity." Accelerator answered and Yang's eyes flashed.

"Just an accident," Touma elaborated. "And _nothing_ happened after that, except for us coming down here."

"If you say so." Jaune shrugged.

"What classes do you have today? MISAKA asks. When you were gone, Accelerator and MISAKA didn't go to any classes."

"You didn't?" Weiss asked and then glared at Accelerator. Accelerator stared back completely unashamed. "Well, Last Order, we have combat class this morning and then history and math in the afternoon."

"I'm surprised you still have normal subjects like math." Touma pointed out. "I figured most of your time would be spent purely training against Grimm."

"A good percentage of our time is." Pyrrha answered. "But we still need to learn basic skills. Math, sciences, reading are all skills we need to develop to a certain degree. We won't be scholars by any means, but we have to be able to read and understand contracts."

"Sometimes Hunters and Huntresses are also tasked to retrieve data and archeological items in Grimm infested areas." Ren added. "Being well rounded is a key to succeeding on missions that don't involve directly facing Grimm in combat."

"We still get plenty of training time." Ruby added. "The training rooms and gym are open all day for us to use whenever we don't have class."

"Speaking of combat class." Yang added and pointed to Neo. "I hope you didn't forget. If Goodwitch doesn't save you, I'm going to give you a real lesson today." She slammed her fists together.

Neo raised an eyebrow, before flipping her hair back with one hand. Her smile indicated to everyone she was not worried at all. Blake frowned and finally looked up from her book.

 _I warned Yang last night not to underestimate her._ _That small girl appearance is deceiving._

"Is there any way we can stop them?" Touma whispered to Ruby.

"Not unless you can get Neo to apologize." Ruby giggled when Touma groaned. "That's the same way with Yang; she's stubborn. As long as it's in class, no one will get hurt. Well… maybe their pride, but they will get over it soon enough. It's why we go to class, to learn."

"Don't mention pride anywhere near me." Jaune mumbled. "I'm going to get creamed by Cardin again."

"Relax, Jaune, you get him closer to the red every fight." Ruby encouraged him. "It's only a matter of time."

"Tell that to the pain of my head being split open." Jaune muttered and Touma immediately felt a sense of comradery. "Sucks being at the bottom."

"Then you can only go up from there." Touma pointed out, which caused Jaune and Ruby to laugh. "I'm at the bottom of my class, but that hasn't stopped me from doing anything. You're the one who gets to choose how you use what you're born with."

Blake's brow twitched ever so slightly.

"And think how far you have come." Ruby added to Jaune. "You fought side by side with all of us at the breach." Jaune rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed.

Out of nowhere, Accelerator stood up.

"Where are you going?" Yang asked.

"Somewhere." Accelerator mumbled. "Things I want to do. Brat, just follow the Snow Angel around."

"Okay! MISAKA agrees as MISAKA salutes."

"Are you skipping?" Weiss asked.

"There's nothing I need to learn here."

There was a collective shudder from Team RWBY and JNPR. It was one thing to skip class, most students did it at least once or twice.

It was another thing entirely to skip Glynda's class without a good excuse.

* * *

Everyone settled down the moment Glynda walked into the room.

"Good morning, class." She greeted them. "I hope you are all prepared for today's lesson." Her eyes passed over the room and then stopped on Touma. "Mr. Kamijou, where is Mr. Accelerator?"

"Uh," Touma said. "He… wasn't feeling good?"

"Not feeling well?" Glynda repeated and raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Kamijou." The tone when she repeated his name was much colder and Touma stiffened. "I do hope you are telling the truth. You may be new to Beacon, but I do not tolerate lies."

Touma gulped and Neo raised her tablet.

' _He's skipping.'_

Glynda's eyes narrowed and the entire class gasped.

Skipping Glynda's class was always risky. She could be understanding if you had a real reason, like being sick or called to the headmaster's office. Blowing her class off, that was another thing entirely. Accelerator wasn't the first one to do so, but usually if someone did, their teammates would cover for them. This was because Glynda tended to punish the entire team if one member ditched. The logic was it forced team unity and caused others to ensure all members received the education they needed. Team leaders were also expected to be able to control said members.

Neo throwing Accelerator under the bus was something new.

Though a couple people, like Yang and Blake, expected it.

"I see." Glynda's tone indicated how she really felt about it. Several people in the front row avoided eye contact for fear of her wrath coming down on them. "Well then, I will have to talk with him about his attitude the next time I see him." She jotted down a note on her tablet and then looked back up at Touma. "As the Leader of Team TAN, I expect you to do your best to ensure he attends class."

"Team leader?" Touma asked confused. _Did Ozpin really think I can control Accelerator?_

Neo was using her hand to cover her mouth.

"Told you." Nora whispered to the others.

"While you may be new, you still have a team; even if incomplete." Glynda explained. "It has been decided that you shall be temporarily assigned as team leader. I trust you will perform your duties admirably. It is not often Beacon takes transfer students in the middle of the semester."

Touma could only nod under her stare.

"He doesn't even look that tough." Cardin whispered to his team. "And that little girl next to him looks like a strong breeze would knock her over."

Neo's amused look turned dark and she immediately thought of twenty different ways to cause that boy to experience castration. She wouldn't kill him, Touma would get mad at her for that, but if an accident occurred? That wasn't her fault. Interesting enough, she noticed most of Team RWBY and JNPR glaring at Cardin too. Only Jaune was avoiding eye contact, probably because he kept losing to Cardin.

"Enough, Mr. Winchester." Glynda stated sternly. "That _little girl_ as you so eloquently put it is at a much higher level than your entire team. Miss Neopolitan would not have been invited by the headmaster personally if she wasn't."

Neo scowled at Glynda's words. She hated her full name, which is why she went by Neo. Ruby, however, brightened up at her words as she too had been invited to Beacon because of Ozpin.

"Pssh." Cardin continued, being a glutton for punishment. "How strong could a midget be?" Ruby glared and the rest of her team didn't look all that happy with him either.

"If you are so insistent that size equates to strength." Glynda added, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Perhaps your team would like to face off against Mr. Accelerator?"

The faces of every member of Team CRDL grew pale.

"If I hear you insult another student again, I _will_ give you detention." Glynda continued. "Do I make myself clear?" Cardin nodded quickly. "Good, now we can begin." She looked down at her clipboard. "Miss Xiao-Long, you requested to have a match today, so why don't you start us off. Your opponent will be… let's see… Miss Ni-…"

"Can I make a request?" Yang interrupted.

"A request?" Glynda asked, a little surprised.

"Can I face off the new girl?" Yang asked, jabbing a thumb in the direction of Neo. "For… umm… a change of pace?"

"If this is some kind of-…" Glynda started to say, but stopped when she saw Neo hold up her tablet.

' _I don't mind.'_

Glynda pressed her lips together.

"Fine." Glynda relented. _I'm going to regret this._ She did not miss the surprise muttering from some of the other teams and took a preventative measure. "I suppose having you face off against a new opponent will be beneficial. I need to see an accurate display of Miss Neopolitan's skills anyway."

"Awesome!" Yang cheered and fist pumped the air.

She stood up, after giving her teammates a thumbs up, and began to descend down the stairs to the changing room. Neo also stood and followed. Touma felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up at the smile she gave him before leaving.

 _Please don't get in a fight outside the ring._

"Will they be okay?" Touma asked the others, hoping for some reassurance.

"Yang won't get into a fight in the locker rooms." Ruby replied and then a frowned formed. "…probably."

"As much as Yang dislikes Neo, she fears Goodwitch even more." Blake added, seeing Touma's face. "Unless Neo is the one who attacks first, she won't do anything."

"Neo also left behind her tablet." Jaune added and pointed to the seat she vacated. "So I doubt she will be able to antagonize Yang like she usually does."

"Yang needs to just grow up." Weiss sighed. "Neo is manipulating her and she's going to let her anger dictate her fight."

"I see that." agreed Pyrrha. "When I fight Yang, I try to get her to move to my tempo. Her attacks get stronger once she loses herself to her anger, yes; but they became a lot more predictable."

"Yang's going to try to break her legs." Nora added and Touma looked at her in alarm.

"Not really." Ren amended his friend's words. "But I don't believe she's considering holding back. Regardless if Neo is turning over a new leaf, she did threaten Ruby."

"I can take care of myself." Ruby pouted and crossed her arms. "She doesn't need to baby me."

"Right." Touma agreed, knowing they all had a point. "What was that bit about Accelerator fighting that guy and his team?"

"You wouldn't know." Weiss realized. "That's Cardin and he's the leader of team CRDL. He tried to bully Last Order when she and Accelerator first arrived. You can guess how your friend took to that."

"Surprised they are still walking, to be honest." Touma admitted.

"Aura; that and he did hold back." Ren explained.

"One of them was sent to the infirmary, MISAKA remembers. He crashed through the wall, MISAKA adds as MISAKA points to one of the guys in the front row."

"So combat class just consists of sparring matches?" Touma asked. "Is there like a ranking system based on win percentages or something?"

"Not really." Jaune answered. "Though I'm at the bottom and Pyrrha's undefeated."

" _Was_ undefeated." Pyrrha amended. "Accelerator beat me pretty thoroughly and I haven't come up with a counter strategy for him yet."

"You aren't upset over your loss?" Weiss asked surprised. She always took her losses hard and worked tirelessly to improve to avoid making the same mistakes again.

"Not really." Pyrrha waved her hand dismissively. "While I like to win, it's good to know there are stronger people out there and that I can improve. Hopefully, that loss will spread through Beacon and people will stop keeping me on some pedestal. Being the Unbeatable Girl all the time was rather tiring."

"Heh," Touma chuckled. "I know a girl back home who complains about that; she's pretty powerful."

Blake realized he was lucky at the timing of that information. If Yang heard it, she would immediately have started prying to find out their relationship. If she started, Blake would have to stay and listen; purely to make sure her partner didn't go too far.

No other reason.

"I bet Goodwitch let Accelerator skip _because_ he beat her." Nora said. "It's not like fighting is going to improve his power and he's way to stringy to start practicing hand to hand combat." She looked Touma up and down. "Not you though; you're built pretty solid. I bet I could help you get super buffed."

Touma was about to answer when he saw Ren, Jaune, and Pyrrha shaking their heads out of view from Nora.

"Thanks for the offer." Touma replied slowly. "But I'll have to see; I'm still getting used to everything here."

"Aww." Nora looked crestfallen for a moment and then smiled. "Well, just let me know."

"Good save." Jaune whispered. "Nora doesn't hold back. I wouldn't doubt she would have you lifting three to four hundred pounds as a warmup."

Touma shivered at the thought.

"Here they come! MISAKA announces excitedly."

The groups turned to look as Yang and Neo both entered the ring. Neo was wearing her white, pink, and brown outfit Touma had groaned accustomed to. She stopped and leaned on her parasol, the tip pressed against the ground. His eyes did briefly fell on Yang and the spots her outfit revealed that the Beacon uniform covered. A small rubber eraser hit him in the back of the head. He turned around and looked for the culprit, but everyone was focused on the ring. He sighed and turned back too, missing Blake's eyes darting toward him again.

"Okay you two," Glynda began. "Remember, once your opponent's Aura hits the red, you are to immediately stop. Should you fail to, I will step in and there will be consequences. The match will also end if someone lands outside the ring or if I feel the situation calls for it. Do you both understand?" Neo and Yang nodded. "Are you both ready?" Again, they nodded. "You may begin!"

Yang and Neo squared each other off, but neither moved immediately. It looked as though they were sizing each other up. This was kind of funny since Neo barely came up to Yang's neck. Yang's face was stony, a sharp contrast to the amusement etched on Neo's. Yang flexed her fingers before they were balling up into a fist.

Without warning, she punched directly at Neo's face.

"Ahh!"

Yang staggered back after the unexpected counter. Neo tilted her head and twisted her parasol before striking Yang in the face with it. As Yang regained her balance, Neo's sadistic smirk grew and she twirled her parasol similar to a certain red headed thief. Yang growled and balled both of her hands into fists, before charging forward.

Every punch from her barrage missed, as Neo used her small frame to weave in and out between the blows. Realizing she wasn't getting anywhere, Yang pretended to deliver another round of punches, before suddenly jumping into the air. She swung her leg down in an axe kick, but Neo used her parasol to divert the blow. She wasn't as strong as Yang, but a small force directed at the side of the leg was more than enough to change the trajectory. Yang landed, delivered another straight punch, and then followed by a quick jab. Neo dodged the first blow and deflected the jab with her parasol. During the parry, her body was open and Yang kicked upwards, planning to lift Neo into the air where she couldn't dodge.

Neo responded with a spin on one foot, dodging the kick by a hair's breath, before delivering a spinning kick into the side of Yang's head. Yang hit the ground hard on her side and looked up. Neo grinned down at her, before jumping and doing a vertical spin to bring down her own axe kick. Yang rolled over to dodge and sprung up on her feet.

She raised her fists and lunged forward with an angry growl.

Instead of dodging her next punch, Neo diverted Yang's fist upwards with her parasol and then wrapped her arm around Yang's. Neo pulled it back, using the fact Yang couldn't get any momentum, to position herself at Yang's side. Neo then kicked upwards with an amazing degree of flexibility. Her leg went almost one hundred and eighty degrees upwards from a standing position so that the tip of her foot hit Yang in the face. Neo let go and Yang began to stagger. The second Yang's eyes opened again, Neo swiveled herself and delivered another kick into Yang's face.

It quickly became obvious to the spectators Neo was aiming there on purpose.

She somersaulted around Yang as she heard the gauntlets click into place. When Yang sprung to her feet again, she spun around and delivered a punch at Neo. This time, the blow was accompanied by a shotgun shell. Neo's parasol opened and the fiery blast bounced off it harmlessly.

 _What?!_ Yang thought, but she didn't have time to consider what Neo's weapon was made of. The parasol collapsed and Neo swung it at her face. _That bitch!_ She thought as she dodged. _She keeps aiming for my face!_

She tried to punch Neo's face in response, but her blow was deflected upwards by the end of the parasol. Yang quickly fired a shotgun blast from her other hand, but Neo shifted to the side and dodged. When Yang tried to deliver a string of blasts in succession, Neo shoved her parasol into Yang's chest before opening it. The force separated Yang's arms and the shots went wild. To bypass Neo's weapon, Yang sank to the ground and delivered a low sweep kick. Neo responded by jumping to avoid it and Yang grinned.

Yang realized after their short exchange Neo was a counterattacker. All of her blows were after Yang made an opening. Also, the fact Neo was aiming for her face narrowed down the defensive areas she had to guard. She raised her arm and blocked the kick aimed at her cheek, before pulling her other hand back. Neo landed on her hands and back flipped the second Yang fired a shotgun blast. The attack missed, but it had been close. Neo continued to back flip several times before stopping on her feet. The parasol opened and she slung it over her shoulders nonchalantly. Getting a moment to breath, Yang glanced at the Aura levels.

She was still at 65%, but Neo hadn't taken a single blow.

Yang fired another shotgun blast at Neo, who batted it away effortlessly.

 _I need her to stay still,_ Yang realized. _She's too agile for my normal attacks._ She could hear her teammates cheering her on, but she blocked them out. She needed to focus. _There is one way, but it's going to hurt._

She had a plan.

She started to move forward, slowly and controlled. Rushing would just cause Neo to move. Right now, Yang's weird movements were causing her to debate on what to do. Neo still didn't look concerned, but Yang wanted her to have that overconfidence. Yang closed in and stopped right in front of Neo. They looked at each other and then Yang delivered a punch from the side, while simultaneously firing her gauntlet. Neo jumped into the air to effortlessly dodge, before kicking Yang in the face.

It hurt.

But Yang needed her to do something she expected.

Taking the blow head on was the first step. The second step was for her to grab Neo's leg with her other hand. Neo's eyes widened slightly as Yang spun around, taking Neo with her. Yang brought Neo down and was planning to slam her into the arena floor. Realizing her plan, the second Yang's grip loosened, Neo grabbed her shoulder and yanked her leg out of Yang's grip. She swung herself around Yang's shoulders and brought her knee directly into the side of Yang's head. As Yang began to fall, Neo jumped off and landed near the edge of the ring.

The class was silent at that display and she gave them a small wave as Yang stood up.

Yellow hair began to stand on edge.

Lilac eyes turned red.

Fire appeared around her and the ground began to crack.

"AHHH!" Yang yelled as she pushed off the ground.

The ground beneath her feet exploded from the force as she charged at Neo. Neo raised an eyebrow and waited as Yang brought a fist back, planning to end this all in one blow. Her semblance was kinetic energy absorption. That translated into the more damage she took, the stronger she became. Neo had delivered enough blows to increase her strength several times. She was planning to finish this here and now with a single blow. There was no way she could tell if Neo could withstand her attack, but Neo seemed to be more of an agile fighter rather than pure strength. The odds were good Yang might be able to pull it off.

If she didn't forget one important thing.

Neo was a pro.

There was no way Neo was going to risk taking that blow head on. When Yang closed in, Neo moved her hand from the handle of her parasol to the tip. At the last second possible, she ducked under Yang's blow and stepped forward, while simultaneously wrapped the curve handle around Yang's ankle. From there, all it took was a quick pull with minimum effort.

Yang lost her balance and fell down, the force of her charge causing her to slide out of the ring.

"The match is over!" Glynda declared as the buzzer sounded.

"Damn it." Yang muttered and turned around.

Neo was writing something in the air with her finger. From what Yang was told by Touma, Neo's semblance was illusion based, so the pink writing in the air was part of her ability. Yang's eyes widened when she saw the words. Glynda, however, did not. Neo had her back toward the professor and thus kept them out of sight from her and part of the class. They only hung around for a few seconds, before shattering and vanishing into thin air, plenty of time for Yang to read them.

' _Git gud.'_

Yang's eyes flashed red and she scrambled to her feet. Before she could do anything, Glynda stepped up.

"Miss Xiao-Long," Glynda began. After every fight, it was custom to explain what the student did good and bad. "Early on, you were getting drawn into Miss Neopolitan's pace, but you calmed down and tried to change the fight to fit your style. Taking that blow in order to grab your opponent, while clever, does propose many risks. I don't advise relying on that strategy. Near the end though, you let your anger get the better of you and your opponent was able to take advantage of that. Think before you act."

"Okay." Yang muttered, trying to keep her voice calm, but still fuming at Neo's taunting.

"Miss Neopolitan," Glynda continued, turning to Neo. "Your skills are top notch, but do try to avoid the dramatics when in the arena. I understand you were antagonizing her to force her into mistakes, but not all opponents will fall for that." Neo nodded, but her expression was one of boredom. "Okay, you two may return to your seats. Next, let's have Nora Valkyrie and Dove Bronzewing."

"Yes!"

"Oh no!"

The female's voice was much more excited than the male's.

"How's your face?" Ruby asked quietly, when Yang took her seat. "Does it still hurt?"

"A little bit." Yang admitted. "But with my Aura, it's almost gone. Damn, that midget is vicious. I can see how she took you and Blake down."

"And she wasn't being serious." Weiss pointed out. "The entire time, she was only taunting you. She didn't even use her Semblance."

"I _know_." Yang growled. "Don't remind me."

Her eyes narrowed as Cardin looked back at her with amusement as how easily Neo beat her.

"If it helps." Blake pointed out. "Touma seems to be reprimanding her about that little stunt at the end."

The four girls looked over and saw that was indeed the case. Though, Last Order seemed to be praising her actual combat abilities. The rest of Team JNPR, minus Nora, were discussing the fight among themselves.

"Your unrequited lover is fine." Yang said, though she felt a little better. "I don't have any problems with him, unless he starts flirting with Ruby."

"He's not like that." Ruby protested while Blake merely rolled her eyes. If Yang could tease them, she was back to normal.

"Still." Weiss muttered. "I wonder what kind of training she had to do to obtain that kind of flexibility. Every one of her moves were so fluid."

"Life or death situations." Blake explained and Weiss turned toward her. "It tends to force people who survive to always be at the top of their game."

"I'll… take your word for that."

Meanwhile, Touma had just finished reprimanding Neo about her conduct. He leaned back in his chair and sighed.

"Somehow I got stuck as team leader." He groaned and glanced over at Neo. "Are you going to listen to me or make my life difficult?" She held out her hand and tilted it back and forth. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Accelerator won't listen to me at all, so I expect him to skip more."

"Welcome to my life with Nora." Jaune consoled him.

"She's not that bad." Pyrrha defended, causing Ren and Jaune to look at her. "Okay… she's excitable and forgets her own strength sometimes, but she doesn't purposely try to make our life hard."

"Nora simply likes to live each day to the max." Ren explained. "And she hates staying still."

"Still," Touma turned to Neo. "I'm not happy with your little stunt near the end, but you did earn that win. Your agility was amazing. The way you dodged Yang's attacks and managed to counter even when it looked like she had you." Neo smiled, pretended to blush, and waved her hand as if saying, _oh you._

"How can MISAKA do something like that? MISAKA asks in wonder. Does MISAKA need aura?"

"Aura helps." Ren confirmed. "But her build is the key, along with a lot of training." Neo nodded. "Taller individuals, like Jaune and Pyrrha, wouldn't be able to fight like that." Pyrrha confirmed that with her own nod.

"I would be happy to fight half as well as she does." Jaune mumbled and Pyrrha patted his back.

"We could always increase our practice time," Pyrrha offered with a double motive.

Their practice included sparing between them, just them. Nora and Ren were off doing their own thing. She was focusing on his swordplay, but if they had more time, maybe they could focus a bit on hand to hand. Her cheeks turned a delicate shade of red imagining Jaune overpowering her once he got the hang of it.

"I can barely move the morning after our current regimen." Jaune groaned and plopped down on table in front of him. "Don't think I can handle much more." He shared a look with Touma and the two shared a brief comradery.

Normal people surrounded by much more talented friends.

* * *

Accelerator may have skipped class, but he actually had something he wanted to do. Rather than just goof off.

This something involved him leaving Beacon's campus and standing on a cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest.

 _That should be good a spot._ Accelerator thought, looking out at the forest. _There's a clearing past those destroyed ruins I can work in peace._ He raised an eyebrow at the pile of rubble at the cliff base. _They really need to work on structural integrity._

He stepped up to the edge of the cliff, reached into his pocket, and pulled out his scroll. After a quick glance, he tossed it onto the grass behind him. There was a reason he was leaving it behind and planning to pick it up later.

Ozpin reminded Accelerator too much like the Kiharas back home.

He was smart and the way he talked, calm, but with a demeanor that was designed to reassure. It seemed like the moment he learned of his power, he was thinking of ways to make use of it. Accelerator didn't trust him at all, but he had to rely on him. Last Order was safer here than out in a random village of an area overrun by Grimm. Then there was the problem of returning him and the rest home. Accelerator had no idea how they even got here in the first place, so there was no way he could find a way back using normal means. The very least he could do was learn about Dust and see if it was possible to use it.

He really should thank Weiss for the gift basket.

The wind behind him formed four tornadoes in the shape of wings as he leaped off the cliff and flew over the tops of the trees. He wanted a spot Ozpin couldn't listen in on him. Even without taking the Scroll apart, it was obvious Ozpin would have a way to listen in without a call being made. Every message sent, every word said near them, was probably archived in Beacon for the headmaster's use. There were probably good reasons for this, but Accelerator didn't fancy being spied on. Academy City did that all the time. Another reason he decided to come out here was for some private time.

He could trust the others to watch Last Order for a few hours.

That thought had caused him a moment's hesitation. Trusting someone else was a new thought for him. The damn hero was the only one he really could have said that about before coming here; even if he would rather eat soap than admit it. When he landed, he looked around for any sign of Grimm. While he would prefer they didn't show up for a while, it wouldn't be that big of a problem if they did. It would only be a perk for him to have the opportunity to take out his irritation on them. In their absence, he opened the small bag he carried and reached inside.

The first crystal pulled out was a small red one.

 _Fire crystal, huh? Guess that's a fine place to start._

The concept of abilities was unknown to Remnant, so he didn't have any idea if the ability would work. Experience back home told him there was a good chance his vector manipulation could have some interesting effects. He encountered weird unknown vectors from another Level 5 and his so called Dark Matter; along with some individuals in Russia who talked about magic. Then there were the unusual vectors he could use himself to fight that monster in the sky. The reason he wanted to use these crystals is because they were stable and not likely to explode. Unstable crystals could explode with a small enough impact.

He ran his fingers over the crystal for a moment before concentrating.

The actual crystal was pretty normal. He could change the directions and propel the object in any direction or even cause it to shatter. That wasn't what he cared about. Practice had already showed he could reflect it. He broadened his search and scanned for any reaction outside of normal physics. Minutes passed and he began to grow frustrated. The first time he faced off against fire dust had been when a student had used it against him. Most of it was deflected, but a good portion of it reacted differently.

 _Maybe it's that damn Aura of theirs._

He blinked and an idea came to him. He focused the vectors on himself first and began the process of manipulating the unknown ones within his body. Once he could feel that sensation like cold water piercing his skin, he focused them toward the fire dust crystal. This technique reminded him when the sky opened up and golden light rained down on a fortress. This time, he was providing the unknown power source. His eyes widened slightly when he saw it.

The crystal began to glow.

He stopped manipulating and the crystal turned back normal. Getting the idea, Accelerator tried again. The crystal immediately began to glow again before he stopped. He repeated this process a few times and each time he was able to do it faster and with more precision. The next time he repeated this process, he didn't stop once the crystal began to glow; he continued to push.

The crystal exploded.

Fire engulfed the area around him before vanishing into nothing.

In the middle of the burnt grass, Accelerator stood, completely unharmed.

 _So I can get a reaction,_ Accelerator thought, pleased at the progress. _From what I understood about Dust, people are supposed to use Aura to activate it, like Weiss does with her rapier. Crystals can be used in machines, like a battery, while grinding the crystals into powder makes it more usable for everyone. Is this feeling I'm manipulating within me Aura? Or something similar? There's no evidence people from my world even have Aura._ He frowned. _Wait, gemstones exist and they are individuals who unlock their abilities without science. I read people here can unlock it without the help of another. Could abilities and Aura be related somehow?_

A growl interrupted his thought and he turned around.

A Beowolf emerged from the trees and began to approach. Apparently the explosion drew its attention.

"About time something showed up." Accelerator said amused. "Good timing, I wanted to try something."

The Beowolf didn't seem to pay any attention to his words as it fell on all four legs and charged. It covered thirty meters in an instant. When it reached Accelerator, one of its long clawed arms swung at his head. Naturally, like all the Grimm before it, the arm was reflected and a loud snapping sound followed as it broke. The Grimm didn't learn its lesson and tried to bite Accelerator. Its jaw shattered and then Accelerator decided to move. He reached up and touched the other arm. A crack echoed across the clearing and then Accelerator flicked the Beowolf. It flew back and landed on its back. Accelerator then proceeded to break the bones in the Grimm's back legs.

"Now that you can't move." Accelerator gave a short bark-like laugh and reached into the bag. "I'll have you act as a Guinea pig for me." He held a blue crystal in his hand. "Let's see if an ice crystal works like fire."

The crystal began to glow blue as Accelerator manipulated the unknown source of power within him. This time, he was trying to do more than just activate the crystal; he wanted to direct the outcome. The crystal was firmly grasped in his outstretched hand before he finally activated it. Shards of ice exploded as he made sure to push all the ice vectors forming in the direction he desired. A few seconds later, the crippled Beowolf was engulfed by ice. Accelerator lowered his hand and leaned forward to inspect his work.

 _Hmm, it turned more into a bunch of icicles rather than a wave of ice like she did in class that one time. The issue is, my ability only works on things I'm touching. Once I let go of it, the ice just travels like a bullet. Maybe I need to figure out how to slowly activate the crystal so that part of it always remains in my hand._ He glanced around at the black shapes emerging from the tree lines. _And it looks like I have some volunteers._

The good news was the Beowolves and Ursai that emerged lasted longer than most of the Grimm Accelerator faced. The bad news, it was only because Accelerator was occupied in trying to get the Dust to work the way he wanted. He eventually succeeded in turning a purple lightning crystal into a continuous current, which ended up frying the last Beowolf into a smoking husk. That had been his last crystal and he looked around at the carnage.

"Not a bad first attempt." He muttered as he cracked his neck. "I suppose I should head back and check up on the brat. It's probably not the best idea to let her hang out with the pink midget. Another Worst is the last thing I need."

He turned and started walking toward the cliff when he stopped.

Something in the air caused him to turn around.

The air grew stale and he felt goosebumps on his arms. He frowned as he recalled the last time he felt this feeling. It wasn't an attack, so there was nothing to redirect. The feeling was caused by his body reacting to something. He could recall experiencing this pressure when he fought the hero for the first time. This was a warning about not turning your back to a monster. That was when Accelerator learned the kind of person Touma Kamijou was and he refused to let that lapse of judgement occur again. His eyes narrowed when a shadow began to move behind the trees.

"Come out." Accelerator yelled angrily. "Or I'll uproot everything to get to you."

As if answering his call, a Grimm stepped out of the forest.

Overall, it looked like a much larger, prehistoric cat. Its body was almost twenty feet long and about as tall as man. Pitch black fur covered everything except the mask, teeth, bone ridges along the spine, and claws. Muscles tensed in its legs as it stepped, leaving large clawed foot prints in the soft ground. The white bone masked covered the face and upper part of the snout. Like all the others, it had lines the same blood red color as its eyes. Two fangs, easily over a foot long, protruded downwards from the mouth.

The shape and size didn't concern Accelerator. His limited research into Grimm already showed they could come in all sorts of forms. What interested him was the black mist that covered its body. If it had been Aura, the beast might have been glowing. He figured that mist must have been causing the strange feeling of rejection.

"Are you upset I killed the others?" He asked mockingly, gesturing to the disappearing corpses. "I didn't think Grimm had feelings."

The beast didn't answer and began to walk around him in a circular motion, a good thirty feet away. Unlike the others, it wasn't attacking immediately, but seemed to be sizing him up. The strange action interested Accelerator to some degree, as this Grimm appeared to have some degree of intelligence.

"Maybe I should just break your legs and drag you back to Beacon." Accelerator suggested to it. A low growl was the Grimm's answer and Accelerator laughed. "Fine, guess we do this the usual way."

The Grimm appeared to agree.

With a single leap, it covered the distance between them and brought the clawed front paw into Accelerator's side. The limb of the Grimm was knocked back, but did not break and the creature roared in what sounded like more in anger than pain.

Accelerator frowned.

 _So its body can withstand a sudden change of direction. That means it's superior to the others, but what was that feeling?_

The moment his automatic reflection triggered against the attack, his body felt cold at the point of impact. It was as if ice water began to replace his blood. This feeling drove any thought of drawing out this fight and now he was determined to end it as soon as possible. He reached a hand out to touch the Grimm, when it surprised him with a sudden move. It leaped over him, landed with a dull thud and kicked him in the back with its hind leg. The attack was reflected, but he felt the ice cold feeling wash over him again. If this kept up, Accelerator wasn't sure if that feeling would have any long lasting repercussions. There was the chance it was all in his head. This time he reached forward and jabbed his hand into the leg of the Grimm.

To his surprise, there was a little resistance until he broke the skin.

"Die." Accelerator told the cat and then reversed the blood flow. The Grim roared and pitch black blood erupted from all over its body. Accelerator's eyes widen. "Why won't you die!?" He demanded.

The Grimm staggered and turned around.

A roar was its only answer as it tried to bite down on Accelerator's shoulder.

Its fang shattered as Accelerator blew them away. Still, it continued to resist. The anatomy of this Grimm was a mystery, as all the previous Grimm would have died already. Accelerator grew annoyed at the creatures persistence, it reminded him too much of a certain hero. He grabbed the side of the Grimm's head and manipulated the vectors.

The head turned one hundred and eighty degrees with a load crack.

The Grimm collapsed a moment later.

"About damn time." Accelerator spat out and kicked at the body once. It wasn't disappearing immediately and he began to debate if he should try to examine it more thoroughly. That is, until some voices drew his attention and a familiar girl jumped out of the tree line.

"This way, Coco!" Velvet called out. "It has to be the… Accelerator?!"

 _Great,_ Accelerator groaned internally. _The fashion girl is here._ A moment later, the rest of Team CFVY appeared.

"Hey, Beansprout." Coco greeted him with a grin, which slipped when she saw the Grimm. "The Grimm we were tracking was a Saber?!"

"What did you call me?!" Accelerator demanded.

"Yang came up with it." Coco replied with a wave of her hand. "Doesn't matter right now. What matters is that you killed that Grimm… alone. Looks like the rumors of you beating the Pyrrha Nikos wasn't an exaggeration."

"Is it that big of a deal?' Accelerator asked nonchalantly. _Let's see if I can get some information from them._ "It wasn't that big of a challenge."

"Then that makes what you did all the more impressive." Yatsuhashi declared. "A Saber is several levels above the Grimm normally found around these parts. Strong, agile, stealthy, and skin like steel, it's recommended you never take one on by yourself." He turned and looked at Velvet and Coco. "They normally aren't found so close to major cities. It's usually the villages on the kingdom's borders that have to fear them."

"Yeah." Coco muttered and kicked the corpse. "Ozpin will probably want to know."

"There were rumors a large Grimm was seen in the forest." Velvet told Accelerator. "Since first years come out here to train often, the second years and up are tasked with removing some of the higher class Grimm from the area." Her eyes fell back onto the Saber. "Still, the last time we fought one of these, Yatsu and Fox took some pretty severe injuries."

"That was over a year ago." Coco pointed out. "We are way stronger than we were back then."

"Did you notice anything strange about this Grimm?" Fox asked Accelerator.

"Could take a beating before going down." Accelerator replied. "But it still wasn't enough to injure me."

"So what were you doing out here?" Coco asked him, lowering her shades. "Pretty sure first years have class this morning."

"Skipping." That was all he was willing to admit.

"Looks like you got some balls." Coco laughed. "Skipping after only a couple days."

"It looks like he was practicing using Dust." Velvet spoke up and pointed to the remains of the ice attacks.

"Your assistance was appreciated." Yatsuhashi told Accelerator. "But you really shouldn't be skipping classes. Professor Goodwitch does not take kindly to truancy."

"Like I care." He clicked his tongue.

"I have to say that I don't dislike brave guys like you." Coco said with a laugh. "Though saying that here instead of in her face is something different entirely. You're a lot more fun than Yang makes you out to be."

"The slut's just mad I rejected her advances." Coco raised an eyebrow.

"You still owe me a date you know." Coco reminded him. "Because of our little wager." Accelerator rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue before turning away. "You better keep your Saturday open."

Accelerator didn't even respond as tornados appeared on his back and he flew into the air. He wanted to get out of there before Coco noticed his body acting strangely.

* * *

 _He's clever, but did he really believe I wouldn't have cameras in the forest?_

Ozpin leaned back in his chair as he watched Accelerator depart from Team CFVY. He had been interested in how quickly Accelerator was getting used to Dust. Sure, his actual proficiency was at a very basic level, but after factoring in that he had only been on Remnant for a few days, his rate of progress was unnerving. Accelerator's intelligence was far beyond even people considered geniuses.

 _I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing yet._

The differences between Accelerator, Touma, and Last Order were numerous. With such a small sample of their world, Ozpin had no idea how unique Accelerator was. Last Order seemed to have a way with people. Touma Kamijou was a determined individual who went out of his way to assist others in trouble. And Accelerator was someone who had witnessed the true horrors that man was capable of.

 _Monsters in human skin, indeed. Many think that Grimm is humanity's only threat, but we are more likely to crumble from within rather than falter against their assault._ He stood up and grabbed another cup of coffee. _I would like to observe him longer, but now Qrow is returning early with an urgent report. The fact he doesn't want to reveal it over even a secure line is cause for concern._

He raised an eyebrow as his scroll beeped and he looked at the number.

He had been waiting for this call from an old friend.

"Did you find anything?" Ozpin asked after answering. There was a pause. "I see… remains of green ice that won't melt? Strange. Do you have any idea what might have caused a break in the veil between our worlds? I know it had to be on their side… Merlot Industries? Do you have their research? Okay… I'll have a team escort you to the last known location. I can expect your arrival in three days? Okay, we can discuss this in detail. Thank you for your assistance."

He hung up and stared out the window over Beacon's ground.

 _Who should I send? That abandoned lab is hidden within the Grimm Wilds._

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter. All mistakes are SilverFang88's fault.**

 **Hate to see Last Order won't have any big part in the upcoming events until she meets Penny. Those two and Zwei will have some fun adventures. Speaking of Zwei, I can't wait to have Accelerator learn about the package that's bigger on the inside than it looks.**

 **SF: Fuck you Dark, be grateful; I stopped playing God of War to beta this for you.**

 **DB: I don't feel bad at stopping you from masturbating to that game.**

 **Current Ship Names:**

 **Touma and Yang: Fistbump / Punchline/ Imagine Dragon/ Love at First Punch/ Hair You Go Again**

 **Touma and Weiss: Cool to the Touch / Princess and the Pauper / Shattered Mirror**

 **Touma and Ruby: Blossoming / Thorny Rose / Speedy Rescue / Innocently Indecent/ Nectar of the Gods**

 **Touma and Blake: Nine Lives / Bad Luck / Kami-Nyaan / Equality**

 **Touma and Velvet: Bunny Couple / Rabbit's Foot/ Lucky Number Zero/ Camera Shy**

 **Touma and Penny: Android's Dream / Faulty Electronics/ Lost Change**

 **Touma and Ren: Lotus Fist**

 **Touma and Jaune: Better Luck Next Time/ Lifesavers/ Brothers-At-Arms**

 **Touma and Nora: Glutton for Punishment / Divine Sparks**

 **Touma and Pyrrha: Babe Magnet/ Dense Armaments**

 **Touma and Coco: Black Coffee/ Stylish Illusion**

 **Touma and Fox: Eye-Caramba**

 **Touma and Glynda: Teacher's Pet / Promise Lands/ Dunce Cap/ Cougar vs Dragon**

 **Touma and Ozpin: Broken Replay Button/ Unknown Paragons**

 **Touma x Summer: Dragon Sunbathing**

 **Touma and Adam: Chronic Crusaders/ Prick and the Pauper**

 **Touma and Emerald: Shattered Illusions / Illusion Breaker / Portmanteau Poverty**

 **Touma and Twins: Triple Threat / Cerberus**

 **Touma and Cinder: Through the Fire and Flame / Fire Demons / Sinner and Savior/ A Match Made In Hellfire**

 **Touma and Neo: Uncertain Flavor / Breaking Reality/ Stockholm Slasher Romance/ Silent Curses**

 **Touma and Roman: Corruption of the Innocent**

 **Touma and Salem: Burning Witch / Light and Shadow / Shattering Darkness/ Grimm Chances of Survival / Darklight**

 **Touma and Summer: Summer Break.**

 **Touma and Raven: Alpha and Omega/ Feather for Brains**

 **Touma and Qrow: Misfortune Squared / Bad luck Charms / Misfortunate Misfits**

 **Accelerator and Weiss: Cold and Calculating / Ice Vector / A Frosty Reception/ Porcelain Complexion**

 **Accelerator and Yang: Road Rage / Short Fuse / Way of the Dragon/ War of the Red Eyes / Push Button to Die**

 **Accelerator and Ruby: One-Way Rose / No Brakes / Rose Manipulation**

 **Accelerator and Blake: Twilight Arrow / Chain and Sickly / Chasing Shadows**

 **Accelerator and Nora: Shattered Bones / Broken Dreams / Nerve Impulse/ Going the Distance**

 **Accelerator and Ren: Tranquil Fury**

 **Accelerator and Velvet: White Flash / Hopping Mad / Unsuspecting Prey**

 **Accelerator and Glynda: Fix and Destroy**

 **Accelerator x Summer: Fast Forward to September**

 **Accelerator and Penny: String Theory/ Broken Toys/ Science Experiments**

 **Accelerator and Sun: Sunny and Sullen**

 **Accelerator and Adam: Charging Bull/ Rabid Animals**

 **Accelerator and Mercury: Killer Moves**

 **Accelerator and Emerald: Red Eyed Killers/ After Image**

 **Accelerator and Coco: Fashionable Disaster/ Fashion is a Science/ White Is The New Black**

 **Accelerator and Pyrrha: Opposites Attract/ Copper Aftertaste**

 **Accelerator and Raven: Yang's Nightmare/ Fallen Feathers**

 **Accelerator and Neo: Sadistic Streaks**

 **Accelerator and Roman: Stolen Smarts**

 **Accelerator and Salem: Wicked Grins**


	22. Rivalries

**Sorry for now long it took to get this chapter out. I wanted to update something else and had to help my author friends work on a collaborative work. Then I also took a few days off from writing to do other things. It was a nice vacation and I used the time to organize some future events. I'm back in the full swing of things and currently working hard on writing. SilverFang88 really wanted me to write a specific scene, so I obliged. I was originally going to glass over it, but he was very persistent. He's so picky, though I trust his judgment with these things. Other than that, not much to say, but that all the people who kept sending me PMs and asking for an update: Here it is. After a brief comment to all the people who took the time out of their busy schedule to review.**

 **HikariNiwa: Well, there is one other way he could technically win.**

 **Neema Amiry: Funny enough, I have other people who want more Accelerator and less Touma. It's a balancing act.**

 **HappyVanilla: Series? Heh. This is a combination of two series.**

 **Inacio: No idea what Yang will do. She's a wildcard. Actually, Accelerator wasn't really to sacrifice people. He convinced himself the clones were just dolls. However, he kept talking to see if they were people. If they had asked him not to kill them, he probably wouldn't have. I rarely read crossovers. Touma fights against opponents with powers stronger than him, but they rely on it. Magicians rarely learn hand-to-hand combat. Kanzaki was able to destroy Touma because of her physical skills.**

 **Guest: I kind of have enough characters to play with right now. If I do bring her in, it will be near the end of the story.**

 **LuminaDawn: I have plans for Accelerator's wings, which I won't spoil yet. As for the nerd out session, Touma, Jaune, and maybe one other person can talk about such things.**

 **Ahsoei: Ah, romcom events are always funny.**

 **TheLastSterling: I actually played with scrabble generators to think of team names for a few things further back. During the weekend, going to have Sun and Neptune show up again, along with Cinder and her group.**

 **AltEden: The names aren't too bad, but I think luck and charms are a more Blake x Touma thing. Sadly, Penny has her own team.**

 **ultron emperor: Accelerator would never want a harem. Too much work to maintain. The thing is, girls here like strong guys and there's no doubt he is strong.**

 **Tierboook: What was it that Accelerator said to Awaki? "Just because I've gotten weaker doesn't mean you've gotten stronger."**

 **Guest: Well, I don't know about an ancient civilization, but you touched on an idea I had. Accelerator's intelligence is many leagues beyond what normal people can imagine. Once he learns how Dust and their technology works, he could probably design something interesting to help them out with the Grimm problem.**

 **Guest: People who want a harem can never have it. Only those that do no desire shall achieve.**

 **MythAnime: I'm mixing a few serious conversations in. Plus, once Cinder's group shows up, things are going to get ugly.**

 **Ferdiad: I want to be careful since I really don't have anything to build on about vector manipulating souls. It would be funny to see him accidently unlock his Aura, but I have a little more interesting idea in mind.**

 **Guest: I loved Neo throwing Accelerator under the bus. There may have been a Dark Souls reference once or twice.**

 **MrQuestionMark: Aww, I knew you cared. Remember when I originally ran this idea by you because you were the only one I knew who watched RWBY and Index? Did you ever think it would grow to be this popular? Neo is one of the few RWBY characters that isn't explored in depth so you can kind of go any direction with her. Finally, someone who appreciates Accelerator's power. Ozpin… he is more than he seems.**

 **dickythamrin077: I can see Accelerator telling her that.**

 **Tecpatl: Nah, beansprout is reference to how SilverFang refers to Accelerator because he's spindly. Hunters also trained with weapons. They aren't blindly swinging a sword. I have a weapon in mind that will fit Touma's personally.**

 **Fortitude: A shield that's also a Railgun? Heh.  
**

 **Guest: You can imagine Touma throwing a shield and bouncing it around like Pyrrha does? That's pretty impressive.**

 **Guest: There are separate beds, but Neo doesn't necessarily agree to person space.**

 **Guest: Everyone really wants Touma to have a cool weapon to compete with the RWBY characters.**

 **ToAnon: Now I feel like I need to do references every chapter to drive you nuts. Never give her name, but just small things. I can guarantee, if she does show up, it will be near the end of the story. Unless… I decide to change everything, which is possible. Penny, Last Order, and one more person for sure. As for his arm being cut off, it will probably happen at some point. No one can hate Last Order, that's her charm. You bring up several good points and there is a reason one or two of them may not be able to go on specific missions. Counter argument: Would Accelerator trust Ozpin enough to pass all the information to him? Or would Accelerator want to examine the information too? Mikoto vs Pyrrha would be pretty fun to write. Against Nora, Iron Sand and maybe throwing metal barriers.**

 **Sergio644: Touma is the only one who can fill in the position. Accelerator doesn't have the people skills, Neo is an ex-con, and Last Order is too young. Touma has the natural charm to help people improve. Yeah, a magician would be great. Imagine Kanzaki showing up and being a front liner. Still not sure I want to introduce more Index characters anytime soon, due to the fact RWBYverse has so many people. The entire team doesn't have to go. Maybe Touma could go off with one team.**

 **G119: Probably Roman or Adam first then Emerald and Cinder.**

 **Guest: Good old cliché violent tsundere line. Ozpin would tell Glynda to let them have their fun while they are kids. That would be a thing. Mikoto would get told off for shocking him. Oh god, Sogiita? That would be nuts.**

 **Ghory: Eh, a little. These are names given by other people.**

 **M1nhTre37: I always write at my own pace.**

 **Fernandamichelleraya: I like the occasional conversations that reveal Accelerator is a person. He just never learned how to open up. You caught on exactly. For the first time, he knows people who don't want to use him at all, except for Ozpin, and then he knows he and Last Order will leave them behind. There might be emotional pain, something new to him. Yang likes to flaunt her assets, obviously. Neo is an elite fighter and older than the others. How old? Take a guess. Ozpin does fight for humanity and will do whatever it takes to win. Blake and Accelerator tend to be the downers, but Touma's there to change things.**

 **IceCream: He doesn't really know magic. He knows there are other powers outside Academy City's abilities. He can manipulate unknown vectors to a degree, but I doubt he ever wants to call it magic. It is a balancing act. I don't want Accelerator out of character, but there will be small clues he is changing and then slowly he will change a bit. His underlying character can't change that easily though.**

 **Kingofclubs8129: Touma and his harem antics. I know that feeling of having to choose and leave one out in the cold. Accelerator may or may not be paired, doesn't mean a girl can't try.**

 **Guest: Time is relative.**

 **Croniklerx: Yeah, Touma's constant presence is the only way for Neo to have a chance of changing sides. If he can make Roman change too, Neo's future would be set. When Touma wakes up in Beacon's medic facility… heh, good times. I need to get Jaune to make a few moves on Weiss again. For triangle drama fun at the very least. One thing Touma doesn't do is use Kami-yan Disease to take girls in a relationship away from guys. He's a bro like that. Groping Nora… that would be… wow, I'm actually not sure what would happen. Would she flip out or understand it's an accident? Would Ren be upset? The weak in the knees bit. Yaoi won't occur in my story, or Yuri for that matter, but doesn't stop the ability to make ship names.**

 **The biggest problem with Accelerator fights is he tends to end them quickly. Unless they have a specific way to counter his ability, he easily wins. Simple class spars will also be pretty quick. If they fight out in the field on a real mission, fight scenes will be longer. I love comedy and slip it in as much as possible. I can't wait for Touma's monster to be revealed. Already figured out exactly when I want it to. Accelerator… has friends? Scandalous. Wait till Worst hears about this. New Delta Force in RWBY. Added a few names from your list again. Don't think Pretty Freeloaded will apply here, because neither Touma nor Neo are freeloaders. Darkside Mentor seems to be a one side kind of name.**

 **WiliamZ0: Touma will punch logic to win. Right? Yes, Touma can do that. However, he tends to win against opponents who rely too much on special powers or abilities, rather than their own skills. He can use his intuition to find a flaw in their power. Hunters are trained to fight, so it would be like Touma fighting a martial artist with his street fighting skills. Saints are weak to certain things, yes. Special swords, the cross, a ring of thorns, etc. Okay, there were a lot of problems with that plane trip to England, but I'm not going to go into that here. Trouble doesn't just look, it finds him. Accelerator's such a tsundere. That's obviously why Accelerator goes for Weiss. She's loli flat, heh. Luck can be good or bad. I'm leading to something big with Gemstones and Aura. Not really a prototype and I'll explain why in this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

Touma felt sorry for Dove.

Nora had been rather overeager in showing up to the Neo versus Yang fight that she might have gone a tiny bit overboard. Dove wasn't seriously hurt, but he might be walking with a limp the next few days. Nora was a beast with her hammer and Touma remembered flinching when he saw her weapon hit Dove in the stomach. He could almost feel his own bones scream in terror from that. Dove was knocked way out of the ring before his Aura hit the red zone though and Nora raised her hammer in triumph.

"I hate fighting her." Dove muttered to Cardin. "That ridiculous strength of hers never diminishes."

"Lost to a girl," Cardin sneered. "Pathetic."

"You're lucky, Cardin." Russel pointed out. "You get to keep kicking Arc's butt."

"Someone has to." Cardin said with a laugh. He might have gone farther in insulting Jaune, but nowadays he held back. He couldn't say Jaune didn't belong in Beacon anymore. After all, Jaune had saved his life back in Forever Falls. "At least you didn't lose to one of those Faunus freaks."

Touma wasn't the only one who flinched. Blake's brow twitched ever so slightly and her gaze turned cold when her eyes fell on him. The others were talking among themselves and weren't paying attention to Team CRDL. Things might have ended peacefully, if they had not continued.

"They are really weak, look at Velvet." Russel agreed. "Those giant freaky ears are just a target in a fight."

"She's so weak, it's pathetic." Cardin added mockingly. "Maybe if I fought her and Arc together, I could get a challenge."

"He is a Faunus lover." Sky added. "What a fre-…"

"Shut up!" Touma yelled at them, causing the entire class to jump.

"Mr. Kamijou?!" Glynda scolded him. "While you may be new to my class, you should know I don't allow-…"

"They're over there insulting my friends and calling Faunus freaks!" Touma replied angrily.

The class fell silent and Glynda's eyes narrowed as she looked between Touma and Cardin's team. Yang wasn't nearly as nice and leaped up.

"You take that back!" She yelled at them. "Faunus are exactly the same as us!"

"Yeah!" Ruby added, no longer stunned. "You guys are such jerks!"

She glanced over at Weiss, who was uncharacteristically silent. It wasn't like Weiss agreed with Cardin. Blake and Velvet were friends of hers. It was that, as a Schnee, her family had a… complicated history with Faunus. If she spoke up, things could get even more heated.

"They are animals pretending to be human!" Cardin called back.

"Mr. Winchester!" Glynda admonished. "While we do not push certain beliefs here in Beacon, we do not accept such blatant insults of other students." Her eyes turned up to Ruby, Yang, and Touma. "I do not want to see any further outbursts… from any of you."

They sat back down, still glaring at Cardin, who decided he didn't want to keep his mouth shut.

"They are all probably part of the White Fang." Cardin muttered, loud enough for them to hear. Glynda turned around on the spot, but Touma was faster.

"It's people like you is the reason they exist in the first place!" Touma roared. "Treating them differently just because of how they look!"

"I treat them like animals because they are!" Cardin yelled back. "Sneaking around at night, causing destruction to innocent _humans_. If you don't like it, why don't you make me shut it?"

"Maybe I will!" Touma declared and stood up.

"That is enough!" Glynda thundered and everyone froze. Cardin and Touma sunk back down in their seats. "Detention, both of you! I will not put up with this in my class. Friday, after your last class, my office." Her glasses glinted dangerously. "If you two keep up this pointless shouting, it will be the last thing you do." Her eyes then fell on Cardin. "Since you are so full of energy, how about you participate in the next round? Your opponent can be…"

"The new guy?" Cardin finished with a smirk.

"He hasn't fought yet." Dove added. "Didn't you say everyone in class would be required to participate?"

"Pairings will be what _I_ decide." Glynda said sternly and Dove shut his mouth. "If and when I decide Mr. Kamijou will take a turn, that is when it will happen."

"Touma could kick Cardin's butt without a weapon!" Nora called down.

Touma blinked and turned around at her in horror. There was no way he could fight against a Hunter in training. While Touma could negate Aura, he couldn't do anything against armor and bullets. A surprise awaited him when Nora turned her head.

She winked at him.

Ren, next to her, seemed to be considering something and wasn't trying to settle his rambunctious partner.

"Miss Valkyrie," Glynda snapped. "There has been quite enough distraction without your input."

"Ah!" Pyrrha exclaimed, more to herself than anyone else, "I get what Nora is doing."

Sitting one seat over, Jaune overheard her.

"Huh?"

"She's removing the difference in equipment." Pyrrha whispered back, as not to warn the others. Ren nodded from her other side.

"But Touma doesn't have any equipment." Jaune pointed out, confused.

"That scrawny guy wouldn't stand two seconds against me." Cardin bragged confidently.

"Enough!" Glynda slammed her riding crop onto the table with a bang, causing people in the first row to jump. "The next outburst will be met with a weeks' worth of detention." Her eyes traveled over everyone in her class, daring them to test her. When no one did, she continued. "Mr. Winchester, do not let me hear you slandering other students in this school. Everyone else, I will not tolerate disruptions in my class. Do I make myself clear?" They nodded. "Good, then I'll get us back on track."

She started to turn around to walk back up to the ring, but stopped.

Weiss had her hand raised.

"Yes, Miss Schnee?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, Team CRDL did make a point." Weiss said respectfully, though there was a look of disdain on her face. "You told us it was required for all students to participate in combat class. Touma had not at this time. Since this is his first class, wouldn't it be important to get a gauge of his skills?"

"Weiss!?" Ruby hissed. "It will be completely un-…"

Blake had placed a hand over her mouth. She had an inkling of what Weiss was trying to do. Yang was looking just as confused, but Team JNPR was remaining silent, though Nora was looking excited.

"As I have said previously, that is up for me to decide when that will be." Glynda answered coolly.

"And Nora's unnecessary outburst did remind me of something you said to us a few classes back." Weiss continued, unabashed. "You mentioned we rely too much on our weapons and neglect our unarmed skills. I know Touma's weapon is… unusable at this time." That was an understatement as he didn't even have one. "Wouldn't this be a perfect opportunity for him to display his physical combat skills in a match against Cardin?"

Glynda bit the corner of her lip for a moment and actually pondered Weiss's words.

"You bring up a valid point, Miss Schnee." She finally admitted. The entire classes' eyes were upon her. "If Mr. Winchester and Mr. Kamijou are willing, then I suppose a one-on-one hand-to-hand combat demonstration may be appropriate."

"I don't mind." Cardin answered with a laugh. "He doesn't look very tough and I could use the warm up."

"I'll do it." Touma agreed.

"Very well you two, go and change." Glynda said. "But remember, no weapons or armor." Cardin scowled for a moment and then laughed at something one of the others said. "You both still have detention for your earlier shouting match."

Cardin didn't look pleased, but got up without argument and headed toward the locker room. Touma stood up and prepared to leave, while the others passed him advice.

"He likes to overcome his opponents with physical strength." Blake warned him. "He's going to rush in fast."

"Just be glad he doesn't have his mace." Jaune said to cheer him up.

"You'll do great!" Ruby encouraged.

"MISAKA agrees, MISAKA adds."

"Keep up your guard and jab him when he overextends." Yang suggested.

"Remember, Aura enhances physical abilities." Pyrrha whispered to him. "You have to react a little sooner than you would for a civilian."

"Teach the jerk a lesson." Nora added. "Don't go easy on him."

"Yeah," Touma muttered dryly. "I'll do that." He felt a tug on his sleeve and turned to see Neo holding up her tablet.

' _He's the type to be overconfident. Your best bet is at the beginning. Hit him hard and fast before he puts up his guard. Or you might accidentally die.'_

Touma gulped at Neo's ominous pronouncement.

' _If you do, his entire team will disappear.'_

"There's no need for that," Touma assured her immediately. "I'll handle it."

"What was all that about?" Yang asked Weiss, when Touma left to change out of Beacon uniform.

"Are you trying to get my friend killed?" Ruby demanded.

"Don't be stupid," Weiss sighed. "I simply pointed out Nora had a good point." She shuttered. "Never thought I would say those words."

"Hey!" Nora denied. "I always have good ideas."

"Nora can be rather insightful if you listen closely." Ren pointed out, but not directly agreeing with his friend. He still remembered a couple incidents involving pancakes, a couple destroyed sheds, and a statue that was found two towns over. No one was hurt and they laugh about the incident now.

"About the fact Touma doesn't have any weapons of his own?" Pyrrha wanted to verify. She kept her voice down to prevent anyone outside of their group from listening in. "If he fought Cardin without one and lacks an Aura, he wouldn't stand a chance."

"Precisely." Weiss confirmed. "I have to admit, when Cardin starting running his mouth, I felt like Touma was going to say something back. He did tell us about his time he spent with… that one group." She sighed. "What do you think will happen if he and Cardin fight outside of the class and Touma hits him with his hand?"

"His Aura will vanish." Ruby realized.

"And he will probably spread it around the entire school." Yang added.

"So if we do it in class." Blake continued. "We can reveal his power in a more controlled environment."

Guilt flooded through her as part of her had thought Weiss was trying to use this match for her own advantage.

"But won't the rumors still spread around the school? MISAKA asks as MISAKA tilts her head in confusion."

"The information will get out anyways." Jaune explained to her. "This way, we get to choose when it happens. I suppose it would be like an explosion. Cause a lot more panic if it goes off when you don't expect it."

Pyrrha nodded and Last Order seemed to accept his explanation. Ren and Jaune shared a look of brothers who had just been united after a life and death experience. With Nora in their group, you couldn't stop explosions from happening, but you could try to contain them.

"Explosions are cool regardless of when they happen." Nora protested.

"Do you think Touma has a chance against Cardin?" Ruby asked Blake.

"In a normal fight, no." Blake didn't like admitting it, but it was true. "Even with Cardin's Aura disappearing, he still has a lot of muscles from training. He would still likely be stronger than Touma, much like Yang was. Things might be different if Cardin relied on a Semblance or Dust attacks."

"That makes sense." Ruby admitted reluctantly and then she tilted her head. "A normal fight?"

"Think about it for a moment, you dolt." Weiss muttered. "This is a spar; how do you win in a spar?"

"Knock your opponent out of the ring." Ruby answered. "Or reduce… oh."

"Yeah, oh. See what Blake means now?"

"Wonder if hanging out with Accelerator has melted our little Weiss Queen's heart." Yang laughed and winked at Weiss. "She's even helping someone else out of kindness."

"As if." Weiss sniffed. "I just want to see that brute Cardin's expression when he loses in one hit."

"That will be pretty funny." Yang agreed.

"Can't wait." Nora added.

 _I can't deny I want to see that too._ Blake thought honestly. _Still, he got upset when Cardin insulted Faunus's. If more people spoke up against that type of injustice, maybe the White Fang wouldn't have needed to exist. There will always be people who consider others inferior, but if the majority is for equal rights, then those types will eventually disappear._

The others considered talking while she decided to read, thought she did not get very far. When Touma and Cardin entered the ring, Blake shifted in her seat and her legs rubbed together unconsciously.

"Just shirt and pants?" Yang muttered. "Lame; Touma needs to get some new threads."

Neo blinked and turned toward Yang. This time, there wasn't any animosity. There was only curiosity and a tiny bit of comradery.

Neo was surprised herself that she was agreeing with the blonde.

"You can do it! MISAKA cheers as MISAKA waves her hands excitedly. You are representing Team TAN!"

"Wooo!" Yang added. "Kick his butt!"

"I'm going to explain the differences in this match one more time." Glynda announced to the entire class. "Both individuals will be unarmed and unarmored. When one of their Aura's reaches the red, the match is over. However, since this is an unarmed spar, pinning your opponent in a way where they will be unable to retaliate can be a victory. This will be based on my discretion. Any questions?" Touma and Cardin shook their heads. "Good. Now present your Scrolls."

 _My Aura won't show up, she knows this._ Touma thought confused, as he handed the Scroll over. _Cardin will probably know soon enough once we get in close._

Her expression betrayed nothing as she put their Scrolls into the machine. A moment later, their picture and Aura status appeared on the screen above them.

 _HOW!?_

Touma has an Aura indicator.

He wasn't the only one surprised. Team RWBY and JNPR wore similar expressions of disbelief. Last Order was still waving excitedly, not seeing the importance of this. Ruby, Blake, and Yang turned toward Weiss in hope she could shed some light onto the situation. She could only shrug and focus on the match at hand.

"Are both contestants ready?" Glynda asked.

"As I'll ever be." Touma muttered.

"I'll make this quick." Cardin muttered under his breath and gave the okay signal to Glynda. "That midget of yours can cry over your broken body." Touma briefly imagined what Neo would do if she heard Cardin call her that. "Then go find a Faunus freak to whine about your loss."

Touma's hand tightened into a fist as Glynda raised her hand.

"You may begin."

Cardin jumped forward and swung a fist. Based on what the others had told him. Touma had been expecting this. Touma jumped backwards as Cardin stumbled. The swing had been wide, proving Cardin hadn't learned how to punch properly. With his Aura, size, and weight, it really didn't matter that much. A single blow would have sent Touma flying and probably have broken a couple bones. The speed still surprised Touma. If he hadn't started jumping backwards the moment the fight began, Cardin would have reached him. Cardin didn't stop and charged forward, using the difference in size to try to plow into Touma.

Touma could immediately see trying to block would be pointless. Tripping Cardin briefly passed through his mind as Cardin neared, but he didn't trust himself to be able to move fast enough. Depending on Cardin's Aura, sticking out a leg might end up with his own broken. Instead, he dove to the side to avoid the hulking mass, rolled once, and sprung back up to his feet. Cardin turned and charged again, delivering another punch, which Touma dodge by jumping backwards.

"Coward." Cardin spat out. "Stop dodging and face me like a man. What happened to all that big talk of yours?"

"I was just waiting for the right moment," Touma replied, trying to think of a strategy. _He's bigger and faster than me, so I have to get in close and strike him. How? He actually knows how to fight._

"You know what?" Cardin said mockingly. "I'm used to beating Arc all the time in the ring and you look even scrawnier. How about I give you a free shot?" He put his hands down and stepped forward. "Come on. One free hit before I break you-…"

Touma didn't even bother to say anything.

He simply reacted.

He pulled his hand back and flung it forward, twisting his entire body into the blow, rather than just his arm like Cardin did. Cardin didn't even get a chance to react as Touma brought his fist up to his jaw. The sound of breaking glass rang out and Cardin's eyes grew wide.

The force of the blow knocked Cardin backwards and he fell to the ground.

He didn't even have time to register the shock as the buzzer indicating the match was over rang out.

The class was silent in shock and awe. Cardin was by no means the strongest student in class. Yang and Pyrrha towered over him, along with most of RWBY and JNPR. He was rather sturdy though and not even the powerhouse Yang could beat him in one hit. Even if his guard was down, depleting his Aura to nothing in an instant was incredible. No one was as shocked as Cardin was. He raised his head up incredulously to look at Touma.

"You let your guard down." Touma told him and turned to Glynda.

"Mr. Kamijou in the winner!" She announced.

"Yeah!" Nora, Yang, and Ruby shouted.

"MISAKA knew you would win!"

"Good job!" Pyrrha and Jaune called down. Blake, Ren, and Weiss only clapped, but all wore smiles on their faces.

"What the hell was that?!" Cardin demanded, finding his words and scrambling to his feet.

"That was what happens when you let down your guard." Glynda told him coldly. "Your opponent took advantage of this. It seems you need to not judge others by their appearance."

"Not that!" Cardin yelled and gestured to his Aura gauge. "When he hit me, my Aura disappeared and now it's back to full! He's a freak!"

"Don't call him a freak!" Ruby called down angrily.

"Another day's detention, I think." Glynda commented, her eyes narrowing. That shut Cardin up. "I did warn you about insulting other students." She made a mark on her tablet. "If you must know, there was a reason I was keeping Mr. Kamijou from participating in normal combat. His Semblance allows him to bypass Aura."

"What?!"

Luckily, Touma wasn't the only one who said that and his question was drowned by easily half the class. Weiss looked interested, while everyone else looked confused at the definition. They knew Glynda disapproved of insulting other students, but this was the first time she assigned an extra days detention for it. She must have been in a bad mood or finally had enough of Cardin's mouth.

"His Semblance allows him to bypass Aura." Glynda repeated. "You have now experienced it firsthand. The protection it provides is negated. Now, imagine what would happen if Mr. Kamijou used a sword or spear in his fight with you." Cardin's face paled and he wasn't the only one. "I used this as a lesson that I do things for a reason." Her hawk-like eyes scanned the audience. "If anyone else has a complaint, you can tell me after class." No one seemed to have one and she turned to Touma and Cardin. "Both of you may return to your seats."

 _Seriously Ozpin,_ She thought as she watched the two head back. _Everything turned out exactly as you planned._

Cardin returned to his team and they started talking in low whispers. Touma walked up the steps to a much more joyous group. Yang, Nora, and Last Order high fived him while everyone else gave verbal congratulatory praise. Right before he sat down, Neo slapped him on the butt with a smirk. It didn't bother him as much as it would have before coming to Remnant. After all, Neo did stuff like that constantly.

* * *

 _One crisis averted._ Ozpin thought, as he turned away from the screen in his office. Touma's match with Cardin had just ended. _I wish I could thank Miss Schnee. Her addition was unexpected but useful._

His plan had been guessed by the others to some degree, though they did not know he had orchestrated it. Since Touma could not turn off his negation power, it was only a matter of time until someone else discovered it. On purpose or otherwise. He had asked Glynda to find a way to have him face off against someone in hand-to-hand combat and then, after the shock of his power wore off, to explain the situation. The explanation was fabricated of course, but would at least be believable among the student body. The opportunity presented itself rather perfectly and no one would suspect anything because of the events leading up to it.

It only took a simple fake Aura gauge set into Touma's scroll to solidify the results.

Sometimes, Ozpin surprised even himself with how well his ideas work out.

 _Once Qrow returns and my friend arrives,_ Ozpin thought, sipping his coffee. _It's time to see what we can find out about sending those two back. It's not that I don't mind them being here, but they really do belong in their world. I also would be lying if I said their powers didn't make me a little uneasy._

* * *

"…and then as Cardin towered over him," Nora told Accelerator at lunch. "Touma stood up, fire blazing in his eyes. His Aura flared up. The light engulfed the room and his shirt exploded off his body... couple people liked that, he was ripped…"

"Pretty sure I would have remembered if his shirt exploded." Yang pointed out. "Or at least Ruby would."

"Yaaang!" Ruby complained and hid her reddening face under her hood. Across from her, Touma had his head on the table, trying to ignore Neo laughing at Nora's story.

"…With a single punch," Nora continued. "Cardin was blown away, his armor and clothes torn to shreds…"

"Not an image I need in my mind." Weiss muttered.

"Likewise." Jaune added.

"All that was left of poor Cardin was a broken body in front of a hole in the wall!" Nora said, getting louder over the commenters.

"Think Goodwitch would have given him a few more detentions if he broke the wall." Blake commented, flipping the page in her book.

"And there's a dust barrier around the ring to prevent that." Pyrrha said softly.

"Touma walked over and looked down at the jerk and said only two words." Nora slowly closed dramatically. "And they were…"

"Just tell us." Weiss sighed.

" _Git gud_!"

"I don't remember him saying that." Ren humored her by not contradicting her words. Meanwhile, Neo slammed her hand down on the table in a fit of laughter, while Yang glared at her. Noticing that Neo's guard was down, Yang grabbed a grape and flicked it at Neo's forehead. It hit her and she stopped laughing.

"Uh huh." Accelerator muttered, uninterestedly. "That true, brat?"

"Pretty much, MISAKA confirms as MISAKA likes Nora's way of describing fights." Accelerator glanced over at Touma, who had just looked up. He shook his head frantically to tell Accelerator that didn't happen. Neo caught his eye from Touma's other side and held up her tablet.

' _I fought the blonde girl today and kicked her in the face until she cried.'_

"Hah!" Accelerator let out a bark-like laugh. "Maybe I shouldn't have skipped."

Yang's eyes flashed red and the fork she was holding crumpled in her grip as Neo laughed at her.

"So what did you do this morning?" Weiss asked him. "Professor Goodwitch wasn't happy when Neo told her you were skipping."

"Oh, well," Accelerator muttered and glared at Neo, who stopped laughing and shrugged. "I decided my time would be better spent learning about dust than sitting in a combat class."

"Oh?" Weiss raised an eyebrow. "You were studying? Impressive. I wish some of my teammates would be more proactive in their studies."

Ruby and Yang looked away, whistling innocently.

"Tested out some dust crystals against some Grimm out in the forest." Accelerator explained. "Ran into that fashionista girl and her team as they were hunting down one of the Grimm I killed."

"Back up!" Weiss demanded. "You used those dust crystals? They should have been stable, so even throwing them on the ground wouldn't have cause more than a minor explosion. Usually they have to be used in a machine capable of withdrawing their energy. What did you do?"

"I destabilized it and manipulated their power to my whim." Accelerator said and yawned. "Wasn't able to do anything noteworthy but I can use them as range projectiles at least. Froze a couple Grim with an ice wave or two. That was interesting." Weiss only gaped at him.

"Sounds like you are quickly becoming proficient in dust." Pyrrha told him impressed. "I don't use much myself except for dust rounds."

"If we're stuck here, might as well do something interesting." Accelerator muttered.

"You're lucky you can use dust." Touma said. "My hand negates it so I can't even come into contact with it."

"Doesn't mean you can't get yourself a weapon." Ruby told him. "As long as you're here, having something to at least protect yourself from Grimm would be for the best." Her eyes glowed brightly. "I could help you design something cool!"

 _Least she's not talking about his 'sword,'_ Yang thought and then grinned. "Ruby must like you, Touma. She already wants to make you a special weapon."

"Weapons are serious business!" Ruby scolded her sister.

"I appreciate the offer." Touma said. "But I'm not really… uh… proficient with… really any kind of weapon."

"That's fine." Ruby dismissed. "We have practice ranges and school weapons. We can find the perfect fit for you!"

Her eyes were shining so brightly now, Touma felt the desire to try to dissuade her fade away.

"Just give up." Jaune whispered. "She's not going to let you get out of this." Most of the table laughed and Ruby blushed.

"Okay, Ruby." Touma relented. "I would be honored to have you design a weapon for me."

"Yes!" She fist pumped in the air.

"Hey, Accelerator!" Nora called and he looked over at her. "You mentioned you killed a Grimm Coco's team was hunting. What was it? Was it big and powerful?"

"It was pretty weak." Accelerator replied and raised an eyebrow at Nora's disappointed expression. "Though…" Her ears perked up at his words and he wasn't sure why he was being nice. "It was tougher than the others and would go down even after I broke it multiple times."

"Those are the best kind." Nora agreed, to what Accelerator wasn't sure. "Gives you the opportunity to try out new moves."

"…right. I guess the Grimm was called a Saber or something." Weiss coughed on her food and Ruby smacked her on the back.

"A-a Saber!" Weiss stuttered before her through completely cleared. "What was one doing so close to Beacon?"

"What is a Saber?" Jaune, Yang, and Ruby asked.

"They are large cat-like Grimm." Pyrrha explained. "Very powerful, silent, and their skin is like iron. It's said they can keep fighting with mortal wounds. They live in the south around the jungle areas and rarely venture toward populated cities." She frowned. "It being out here is very unusual. No wonder a second year team was asked to take care of it."

"We could have taken care of it!" Nora protested.

"We took out a giant Nevermore during initiation and it could fly." Yang bragged. "On the ground with a fair fight, we could totally have wiped the floor with it."

"It would know how to fight on the ground too." Blake interjected. "So it would know how to defend itself."

"Even so…"

"But since you two know so much about it," Accelerator interrupted before the conversation turned to something he didn't care about. His eyes darted between Pyrrha and Weiss. "Answer something for me. When the Saber attacked, even though I deflected its claws, the air felt cold when it drew near. What's that about?"

"Cold?" Weiss blinked and rubbed her chin. "That sounds familiar, but from where…"

"Our Uncle mentioned that." Yang piped up. "Some older Grimm that live deep in the Wilds have a kind of presence. It's not quite Aura, but kind of like it for them. The air is supposed to grow stale and cold around them. Aura protects us from the worst of the effects, but you still get some unpleasant feelings."

"Uncle Qrow is the greatest." Ruby added. "He can go into the Wilds on his own and come back unscathed." She wrinkled her nose. "You can always smell him coming too. He drinks so much."

"That's not really good for him though." Touma said. "Does he go into the Wilds drunk?"

"Yep!" Ruby replied with a grin, popping the p. "He's always drunk."

"I've read about the presence those Grimm have." Ren said to Accelerator. "There have been documented cases about it, but we don't know what causes it. Normally, if a Grimm survives long enough, they can become an Alpha. Yet there are Grimm who have not reached that stage and still develop this presence."

"Bodies disappearing make it hard, right?" Ren nodded at him. Accelerator clicked his tongue in annoyance and grew silent.

"Can MISAKA see a Grimm up close sometime? MISAKA asks the table."

"It's too dangerous." Weiss answered. "They aren't like normal animals and will attack on site."

"Aww."

Last Order crossed her arms and pouted which forced everyone to look away or risk being drawn in by the cuteness. Ruby made a mental note on her technique.

After lunch, the rest of the day went by pretty quickly. Accelerator only attended class because Weiss and Last Order pressured him into it. Math bored him beyond belief and he didn't care about history. He had been momentarily surprised by the speed of which Bartholomew ran over the subject. The other students were furiously taking notes, except for Neo. She occasionally scribbled something down but otherwise doodled on her notebook. Touma looked completely lost and his handwriting was a mess. Last Order was trying to keep up, but she kept complaining in an undertone next to him. Eventually, the class ended and they were free for the afternoon. They were just about to discuss what to do, when Glynda showed up.

"Mr. Kamijou," She said and Touma froze. "I need to speak to you for a moment."

"If it's about this morning," Touma apologized. "I'm sorry for shouting-…"

"No." Glynda interrupted and waved her hand. "It's not about your detention tomorrow. I recently heard a large package arrived for you in our mailroom. I was a little surprised because of your… situation. Did you order anything?"

"Not that I know of." Touma answered. He could feel several pairs of eyes on him from the others and then he thought of something. He turned and found the mismatched eyes of Neo, who was pretending to look innocent. "Okay, what did you do?"

She typed something down on her tablet and held it up.

' _Ordered a chest freezer for our room.'_

Touma and Glynda stared at her.

"What? Why? Actually, how did you? You don't have a scroll." Neo laughed at Touma's expression and held up her tablet again.

' _He said I couldn't have one. He never said I couldn't use one. Check yours.'_

It only took Touma about twenty seconds to figure out what she did. His history told him everything.

"That makes sense." He admitted with a sigh.

"I see." Glynda said coldly. "Well, I recommend you keep a closer eye on her then, Mr. Kamijou. Do hurry and pick it up. We prefer to keep the mailroom cleared."

"Yes, professor." Touma replied and Glynda left. When she was out of sight, he turned back to Neo. "Seriously? What do you need a freezer for?"

Neo looked incredulously at him and then turned to Last Order, who shrugged at her. Neo rolled her eyes and held up her tablet.

' _Ice cream, of course.'_

"Of course," Touma repeated. "How did you even pay for it?" Neo reached into her pocket and pulled out a black card. "…I should have seen that coming."

"Probably has a bank account under a fake name full of stolen money." Weiss huffed. Neo raised a finger, lowered it, and then her expression turned into one contemplating something. She raised her hand again and shook it back and forth, which did not make the scowl of Weiss's face go away.

"The runt really isn't sorry about how she earned her money." Yang muttered and Neo made a rude gesture at her.

"Let's be nice guys." Ruby joined in, jumping between the two. "Stuff happened in the past, but try to look toward the future."

Everyone did stop arguing for now and Touma mouthed her a thank you. She returned the gesture with a wink and a smile.

"Hey, Jaune." Touma asked. "Do you think you can give me a hand getting the freezer to my dorm room?"

"No prob-…"

"I can help!" Nora volunteered. "I have had the opportunity to lift any weights today, so it will be easy."

"Uh…?" Touma started to say before Nora raced off to the mailroom.

"She will be fine." Ren assured him, as he began to follow Nora. "She's a lot stronger than she looks, remember?" Touma nodded. "I'll make sure she doesn't break anything."

Neo's eyes widened and she raced after Nora too. There was no way she was going to risk losing her freezer.

"Well…okay?" Touma said in disbelief.

"That's Nora for you." Jaune laughed. "We don't have to go now. As long as your teammate will sign for you, they can pick up your mail."

"You know Jaune." Pyrrha said to him. "We have some free time this afternoon and haven't done any sparring."

"I suppose." Jaune agreed and Yang grinned from behind them. "Can't deny I needed it and I didn't have to spar today in class."

"We will see you all later." Pyrrha told the others.

She and Jaune headed off toward the locker rooms to retrieve their gear. Touma watched them leave and then turned to the others.

"I've been wondering," Touma said. "Are those two…?"

"No." Team RWBY said simultaneously.

"Jaune doesn't notice Pyrrha likes him." Ruby elaborated.

"What she sees in him I will never understand." Weiss muttered.

"He spends his time trying to woo Weiss here." Yang added and threw her arm over the other girl's shoulders.

"Do not give him ideas to start up again." Weiss growled.

"Is she planning to tell him?" Touma asked and the girls rolled their eyes at him.

"She's worried about the team dynamic." Ruby explained and fidgeted a bit. "If he doesn't accept her feelings back, it would make everything awkward."

"Or if they do start dating and then break up." Blake added. "Imagine what living together in the same dorm would be like."

It did not take much work on Touma's part to see the problems.

"Yeah… that makes sense."

"Well if you are just going to talk about useless crap," Accelerator muttered. "Then I'm leaving." He turned on the spot and Last Order grabbed his shirt.

"Wait! MISAKA cries as MISAKA tries to prevent you from leaving. Remember what we talked about before? MISAKA asks." Accelerator paused for a fraction of a second, before trying to resume his pace with the small girl attached to him.

"Hang on." Weiss interjected and Accelerator actually stopped. "You mentioned earlier you used the Dust crystals I gave you earlier against the Grimm. I'm curious how you did that. If you tell me, I'll repay the debt and give you Dust in powder form to experiment with. I'm rather knowledgeable about Dust and have access to quite a bit of it."

Her words seemed to have an effect, as Accelerator's expression turned from annoyed to mildly interested.

"…Alight," he replied, after a brief pause. "There's only so much books tell me and I've seen you fight with it."

"Let's back to my dorm then." Weiss added brightly. "I want to take notes and I have some dust available to discuss its properties."

"She just wants to show off her knowledge to someone." Yang whispered to Blake, who nodded. "Because we just tune her out." Suddenly, an idea occurred to her and she grinned. This was a perfect opportunity to tease Weiss and help Blake. "Hey, Ruby," She said suddenly. "Dad told us he sent a package, remember? It should have arrived by now."

"That's right, he did!" Ruby exclaimed. "EEEEE! Something from home! You think he sent us cookies?"

"Only one way to find out." Yang replied and grabbed her sister's arm. "We're going to the mailroom too. It shouldn't take long." She wagged the finger of her free hand at Weiss. "Don't let us catch you doing anything dirty when we return."

"How vulgar." Weiss muttered and rolled her eyes.

"Weiss is always the one to make me pick up my stuff." Ruby said to Yang, confused. "I don't think she will make a mess."

"They are playing with Dust, MISAKA states reasonably. If it's as volatile as you all have said before, there is a chance it could cause a mess, MISAKA theorizes as MISAKA tries to figure out how the room could get dirty."

"Yeah, that's it." Yang said sarcastically, before pulling Ruby after her.

As she was leaving, she winked at Blake, who responded by raising an eyebrow. It only took a moment for her to realize why her partner did that. With Weiss, Accelerator, and Last order heading out too, that left Blake and Touma alone in the hallway.

 _What does she think is going to happen?_ Blake thought to herself.

"So… Blake." Touma's voice broke the silence and she looked over at him. "Are you planning to do anything?"

"I was going to stop by the library." Blake answered. "There was a book I wanted to see if it had been returned yet."

"Do you mind if I join you?" Touma asked. "Professor Oobleck recommended-…"

"That's Doctor Oobleck!" The green haired man called/interrupted from the hallway before disappearing. Touma and Blake stared in that direction for a moment, before snickering.

" _Doctor_ Oobleck recommended a history book for me so I could get a general idea of Remnant's history." Touma amended. "I don't know how long we'll be here and it wouldn't hurt to learn a bit about your world. It's not like this kind of thing happens frequently."

"I don't have any problems with that." Blake told him with a small smile. "Unless you plan to make a lot of noise or knock down a bookshelf with your bad luck."

"Hey!" Touma protested as Blake smirked. "I trusted you guys with that information. Don't make fun of my bad luck. It's caused a lot of hardships."

"There, there." Blake told him, patting him on the shoulder. "I only plan to make fun of it occasionally."

"That's so nice of you." Touma muttered sarcastically and Blake laughed. Touma blushed at how nice that sounded. The two of them made their way to the library. The hallways were mostly devoid of students, as classes had let out and people didn't like to stay any longer than necessary.

"During class," Blake said suddenly and Touma looked over at her. "Standing up to Cardin when he was talking bad about Faunus… that was rather noble of you."

"No one else was telling him off." Touma muttered.

"A lot of people don't like him and his views." Blake admitted. "But few actually step up and tell him he's wrong."

"Isn't that part of the problem?" Touma asked and Blake looked surprised. "People just ignoring other's suffering? Allowing him to just talk down about people for how they were born is just wrong." His voice grew lower. "That was a common occurrence among the White Fang. People ignored the Faunus who were being harassed because it didn't involve them."

"I think a lot of people would ignore anyone, human or Faunus, in those situations." Blake pointed out fairly.

"Shouldn't be that way." Touma replied seriously. "Two people I met, Perry and Rita, they weren't bad." Blake mentally noted Touma used the term _people_ rather than human or Faunus. "They sort of were forced into the White Fang by circumstance. If they had other options at the time, they wouldn't have. Those two reminded me a lot of you guys. They laughed, they bickered, and they helped each other. Both sides need to see how similar they are."

"Yeah… I agree with that completely." There was a moment of awkward silence before Blake continued. "Still, I really appreciate your actions. Jaune once stepped up and helped a Faunus who Cardin was bullying. It's good to know people like you two exist."

"Lead by example, right?"

"Yeah." She paused. "I wish I stood up against him, but I'm too cowardly to even reveal who I am. I'm such a hypocrite."

"I don't think you're a hypocrite or a coward." Touma reassured her. Her head snapped to stare directly at him. "Would a coward risk her life to jump among a group of who many consider evil? You did that and tried to get them to see reason. That's far from cowardly. Wanting people to know who you are yet understanding there are jerks in the world is not hypocritical, it's rational. I know one day you will be able to walk down Beacon without the need to hide anything."

He fidgeted when the silence lengthened.

They reached the library and Blake still hadn't said another word and Touma was getting worried.

"Sorry if I said something to offend you." He apologized quickly. Blake blinked, froze with her hand on the door to the library, and slowly turned to look at him.

"It's nothing like that." Blake assured him. "I was just… thinking. I actually agree with you and I'm looking forward to that day."

She entered the library and Touma followed her, relieved.

The truth was a little more complicated.

Touma had embarrassed her and she didn't want him to see her face.

* * *

"We're back!" Yang announced, kicking the dorm room open.

"Yang!" Ruby admonished. "We are going to get in trouble if you break the door again."

"I couldn't give them time to prepare." Yang protested and then her grin slipped off her face as she looked around the room.

"Why are you such a Neanderthal?" Weiss demanded from her desk. She was sitting down on a chair with Accelerator on the other side of the desk. Several different vials of Dust were between them and Accelerator was currently examining one with his hand. Besides a small scorch mark on the desk, the room was in its normal shape. Last Order was lying on Weiss's bed with a book open.

"Must be all those products she uses." Accelerator scoffed. "They soaked into her brain."

Weiss couldn't hold back a chuckle and Yang glared at them.

"MISAKA didn't understand most of what they were talking about, MISAKA complains as MISAKA doesn't like being left out."

"Cheer up." Ruby said and held up a package. "Dad sent us something and it's too large to be a letter. Must be a treat of some kind." She turned to Yang. "Open it! Open it!"

"Hang on, sis." Yang replied with an amused tone.

The package was cylindrical, about a foot long and a few inches in diameter. She popped off one end to open it. When she did, something black and furry in the packages shape fell out. Everyone leaned forward to get a better look at it.

Then it suddenly jumped.

The black furry thing expanded after one more jump. A black-headed tricolor Corgi with gray eyes and a bobbed tail emerged. Its underside was white and it wore a red collar with a gold pendent bearing a vertical black bone and two black dots on either side. The Corgi looked around at the shocked expressions of Weiss, Accelerator, and Last Order before turning to Ruby and Yang. Upon seeing them, it jumped up and down and gave a short happy bark.

"Zwei!" Ruby cheered and picked up the dog to give him an enormous hug.

"Your dad sent a dog…" Accelerator murmured in dull disbelief.

"…through the mail." Weiss finished in equal disbelief.

"Oh, he does stuff like this all the time." Yang replied and dismissed their worries with a wave of her hand. Zwei was busy licking Ruby's face all over and she was laughing with joy.

"Stop that." Ruby said to Zwei, but she really wasn't trying to get him to stop.

"Are you telling me?" Weiss asked and stood up before walking over to Ruby and Zwei. "That you two are expecting this mangy…" Her words trailed off for a moment when Zwei stopped licking Ruby and looked her directly in the eyes. "…drooling…" She stared intensely back into Zwei's eyes. "…mutt… is going to live with us forever!" Her tone changed from serious and strict to that of a little girl on Christmas Day. "Who's a cutie? You are!" She scratched Zwei under the chin and his tag wagged happily.

"MISAKA wants to play with Zwei too! MISAKA cries as MISAKA bolts up from the bed."

Seeing the little girl rushing toward him, Zwei jumped out of Ruby's arms and landed into Last Order's chest. The force knocked her backwards and the two of them somersaulted before landing with Last Order face up on the ground and Zwei on top. He started licking her face passionately and she was laughing excitedly.

"There's a letter." Yang declared, while Zwei was being occupied. "Dear girls, I've got to leave the island for a few days, so I'm sending Zwei to you to take care of. Enclosed is all the food you should need. Love you both, Taiyang."

She flipped the package upside down and dozens of cans of dog food began to fall out into a large pile.

"What are we going to do with that?" Weiss demanded and then a can opener fell out.

"What the hell?!" Accelerator exclaimed and everyone turned to look at him as he stood up and grabbed the package from Yang's hand. "Is there some dimensional transcendentalism shit going on?"

He looked into the box and didn't see anything unusual. Even sticking his hand into the package didn't give him any clues.

"Dad's really good at packing." Ruby answered, pretending she didn't hear him swear. "He could fit a lot more stuff if he had to. Once, he fit enough furniture into the back of our car to refurbish our entire house."

Accelerator simply stared at her.

"You don't see the flaw in your words, do you?"

"What flaw?" Ruby asked, tilting her head.

"I get a headache talking to you." Accelerator groaned and rubbed his head.

"Welcome to my world." Weiss agreed. "She woke us up the first morning with a whistle."

"Team bonding activity was needed!" Ruby declared loudly.

"Hey, Last Order," Yang asked. "Are you ever going to let Zwei go?"

Everyone glanced over at the girl, who was sitting up and held Zwei tightly in her lap.

"Don't want to, MISAKA replied selfishly as MISAKA loves Zwei's softness." Weiss smiled and knelt down next to her to scratch Zwei behind the ear. His tail wagged eagerly at her touch.

"He's such a good boy, isn't he?" Last Order nodded with a huge smile on her face.

"Guess I'll leave the brat with you guys for a while." Accelerator said and prepared to leave their room. "She's going to want to stay anyways."

"Wait!" Weiss called out. "There's… something I want to talk to you about. Now that Touma and Neo aren't around."

"What is it?"

"Do…?" She looked a little hesitant. "Do you trust Neo?"

Ruby and Yang's eyes widened and Last Order looked up from Zwei.

"Finally!" Yang threw her hands up in the air. "I know Ruby will give her the benefit of the doubt, but at least Blake seemed to not buy the innocent act. She's always watching her." _Of course, there's a secondary reason, hehe._ "I was wondering what your position was on her Weiss, besides the occasional jab you would give any ex-criminal."

"I don't jab ex-criminals." Weiss protested and then looked away when Ruby and Yang stared at her.

"Neo's trying to turn over a new leaf." Ruby said and then looked at Accelerator. "You trust her, right? That's why you let her live in your dorm."

Accelerator stared at the girls for a moment and said a single word.

"No."

Ruby's mouth fell open, Yang looked smug, and Weiss's lips pressed together tightly.

"See," Yang declared superiority. "He agrees with me. Neo's up to something."

"If you don't trust her," Ruby asked softly. "Why do you let her stay in the same room as you and Last Order?"

"Because she knows what will happen if she tries anything." Accelerator replied simply. "I won't hold back." The girls stared at him with wide eyes.

"He won't trust people easily, MISAKA whispers as MISAKA keeps her tone as soft as possible." Weiss leaned closer to hear. "The fact he talks with all of you and is willing to leave MISAKA with you means he does trust you." Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Please don't lose that trust, MISAKA begs. He really needs people he can trust."

"And I don't have to worry too much." Accelerator added as an afterthought. "As long as that damn hero is near her, she won't be able to do much."

"You trust him that much?" Yang asked.

"That… isn't the point." Accelerator deflected. "That guy has done a lot more insane things than simply change the mind of a villain. If anyone can turn her, it will be him. Should she try anything, well… you know what that idiot will do."

That went without saying.

Touma would face Neo directly to prevent her from hurting anyone.

"Do you think she's up to something?" Weiss asked.

"Obviously." Accelerator huffed. "But someone in her position won't try anything the first few days though. She needs to get people to relax their guard. You won't have to worry about her unless you provoke her." He grinned sinisterly at Yang. "Really wish I stuck around and watched her mop the floor with you."

Yang scowled, but couldn't really deny it. It did happen.

"So she can change!" Ruby said sternly. Accelerator rolled his eyes and only gave a noncommittal jerk of his head.

"I guess as long as you know." Yang relented and rubbed her chin. "Then I can't protest much, but I'm not letting my guard down around her."

"You didn't the first time and look what happened." Weiss pointed out with a grin. "Accelerator, if you ever want to discuss Dust compositions or reactions, I would be happy to do so. Unlike some people, you can actually understand the complex formulas."

"Hey!" Yang and Ruby cried out.

"Tsk, maybe."

He wasn't going to commit, especially since his mind wandered way more than it should have during their session. Not in ways he was used to. He would never admit it out loud, but his body was reacting to Weiss.

He really hated that doctor who caused this problem.

Further conversation was spared when the door open and Blake stepped in. The door slammed behind her and then she froze when her eyes fell onto Zwei, who barked a welcoming at her.

"What… is that?" She asked, her eyes narrowing.

"It's Zwei." Ruby answered. "Me and Yang's pet. Dad sent him to us."

"Isn't he adorable?" Weiss asked.

"You know it's against the rules to have a pet, right?" Blake asked, focusing on Weiss.

"Come on, Blake," Yang said. "Don't be a sour _puss._ "

Blake threw a glare in her direction for a second.

"We can ignore that silly rule for this little guy." Weiss dismissed Blake's worry and her eyes widened.

"What have you done with the Weiss who refuses to break even the most mundane rules?"

Before Weiss could reply, Zwei jumped suddenly out of Last Order's arms and bolted toward Blake. In a blur, Blake jumped onto Ruby's bed.

And she hissed.

Blake actually hissed, just like a cat.

"Blake?" Ruby asked in shock.

Yang's expression was a combination of shock and amusement. Weiss and Last Order just stared. Accelerator was the only one who actually laughed at her reaction. A Huntress who was afraid of a little dog was hilarious.

"Hahaha!" Yang suddenly burst out laughing too. "Wow, Blakey. Zwei is perfectly harmless. Come on down and say hi."

"No. Keep him away from me." Zwei didn't seem to understand her as he jumped up and down at the foot of the bunk beds.

"He's so friendly, MISAKA says as MISAKA tries to reassure you. He might lick you a bit, but won't bite."

"Don't care."

"She's such a scaredy-cat." Yang said to Accelerator and laughed again. Accelerator simply rolled his eyes. Blake jumped from Ruby's bed, onto a desk, and to Yang's bed. She reached down, grabbed two books from her bed, gave one last nasty look at Zwei, and jumped toward the door. She exited and quickly closed it behind her before Zwei could follow. "Oops, she ran off."

"She'll return eventually." Weiss said, unperturbed. "There's no way anyone could stay mad at this cutey."

"You didn't get introduced, MISAKA releases as MISAKA picks up Zwei in haste." The Corgi didn't seem to mind, he loved the attention. Last Order ran up to Accelerator and held the dog up to him. "Zwei, this is Accelerator. He likes to act tough, but he's nice deep down, MISAKA introduces."

"Waaay deep down." Yang added and Weiss elbowed her in the side.

"Go on," Ruby encouraged him. "He won't bite."

That was the last thing on Accelerator's mind, as he gazed down at the hopeful expression on Last Order's face. Zwei had his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth and was looking up at him expectantly. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he reached down and patted Zwei's head a couple times, before stopping and walking toward the door.

"Come back anytime!" Ruby called out.

"Tsk," Was his only response.

"Blake did have a point." Yang said, when Accelerator was gone. "I don't think Beacon allows pets."

"If we keep him in our room, no one will know." Weiss brushed off her words. "Besides, he's not going to cause any trouble."

"You can sleep with me tonight like old times." Ruby said and picked up Zwei.

Zwei immediately began to lick her face.

Yang watch those two for a moment and then turned toward the door Accelerator left from.

"Did anyone tell Accelerator that Touma was made team leader?" She asked the others. Ruby shrugged and Weiss appeared thoughtful for a moment.

"I don't believe so." Weiss admitted. "We got a little drawn up with Nora's rendition of his fight." Yang grinned.

"Ohhh, I can't wait to tell him."

* * *

"Umm… what's this?"

Touma had just entered his dorm to find three within. He had been delayed getting back after slipping on a wet floor. Someone didn't set up any kind of sign and he was forced to clean up before tracking the water all over the halls. Two of the occupants were expected. Accelerator was lying on his bed and perusing stuff on his scroll. Meanwhile Neo was examining her new chest freezer set up in the corner of the room. There was nothing in it, but she was making sure it was working perfectly. She was occasionally sending the third occupant a weird look. Last Order wasn't there and Accelerator didn't look concerned, so she was probably still with Team RWBY or possibly JNPR. The third occupant was instead someone Touma didn't expect to see again so soon.

Blake was sitting in Last Order's bed, reading a book.

"What's what?" She asked, looking up for a moment. There were two other books next to her and it looked like she wasn't planning to move anytime soon.

"Not that I mind, but I thought you were heading back to your room." Touma answered.

"I was," Blake confirmed. "But circumstances dictated I had to leave."

"Heh."

Touma looked over at Accelerator, who had just laughed at Blake's words. Blake's face turned ever so slightly red. Neo, however, didn't look happy.

' _She's a bother. I'm going to kick her out.'_

"Don't do that." Touma told her hastily and turned back to Blake. "Circumstances?"

"Ruby brought a demon into our dorm and I can't stay there."

Accelerator let out another involuntary laugh. Neo tilted her head and her expression turned from annoyance to curiosity.

"It can't be that bad." Touma replied. "I mean, Weiss is a little scary sometimes, but you live with her."

"They have a dog." Accelerator answered.

Touma and Neo blinked.

"Oh…" Things clicked in Touma's brain while Neo fell onto the bed silently laughing historically. Blake glared at her, her face now solidly red. Touma suddenly realized Accelerator may not know Blake was a cat Faunus.

"I don't like dogs." Blake stated, keeping her voice passive.

' _I wonder why.'_ Neo typed and held up the tablet for all to see.

"So I need to ask a favor." Blake continued.

"You want to hide out here for a little bit?" Touma asked and plopped down on his bed. "That's fine. We still have several hours before curfew."

"Not quite." Blake corrected him. "I was hoping Last Order and I could switch rooms for a few days."

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter. All mistakes are SilverFang88's fault.**

 **Last Order and Zwei have finally met. Now only one more person is needed to complete the new Delta Force.**

 **SF88: ...I liked this chapter, more or less for the reasons of Cardin getting a dose of Touman Justice. Asshat deserved worse, but I think we can all agree that it is satisfying to watch a bully get knocked down a couple pegs. Oh, and lastly, fuck you, Dark.**

 **Touma and Yang: Fistbump / Punchline/ Imagine Dragon/ Love at First Punch/ Hair You Go Again**

 **Touma and Weiss: Cool to the Touch / Princess and the Pauper / Shattered Mirror**

 **Touma and Ruby: Blossoming / Thorny Rose / Speedy Rescue / Innocently Indecent/ Nectar of the Gods/ Klutzy Couple**

 **Touma and Blake: Nine Lives / Bad Luck / Kami-Nyaan / Equality**

 **Touma and Velvet: Bunny Couple / Rabbit's Foot/ Lucky Number Zero/ Camera Shy**

 **Touma and Penny: Android's Dream / Faulty Electronics/ Lost Change**

 **Touma and Ren: Lotus Fist**

 **Touma and Jaune: Better Luck Next Time/ Lifesavers/ Brothers-At-Arms**

 **Touma and Nora: Glutton for Punishment / Divine Sparks**

 **Touma and Pyrrha: Babe Magnet/ Dense Armaments**

 **Touma and Coco: Black Coffee/ Stylish Illusion**

 **Touma and Fox: Eye-Caramba**

 **Touma and Glynda: Teacher's Pet / Promise Lands/ Dunce Cap/ Cougar vs Dragon**

 **Touma and Ozpin: Broken Replay Button/ Unknown Paragons**

 **Touma and Summer: Dragon Sunbathing/ In The Heat of Battle**

 **Touma and Adam: Chronic Crusaders/ Prick and the Pauper**

 **Touma and Emerald: Shattered Illusions / Illusion Breaker / Portmanteau Poverty**

 **Touma and Twins: Triple Threat / Cerberus**

 **Touma and Cinder: Through the Fire and Flame / Fire Demons / Sinner and Savior/ A Match Made In Hellfire**

 **Touma and Neo: Uncertain Flavor / Breaking Reality/ Stockholm Slasher Romance/ Silent Curses**

 **Touma and Roman: Corruption of the Innocent**

 **Touma and Salem: Burning Witch / Light and Shadow / Shattering Darkness/ Grimm Chances of Survival / Darklight**

 **Touma and Summer: Summer Break.**

 **Touma and Raven: Alpha and Omega/ Feather for Brains**

 **Touma and Qrow: Misfortune Squared / Bad luck Charms / Misfortunate Misfits**

 **Accelerator and Weiss: Cold and Calculating / Ice Vector / A Frosty Reception/ Porcelain Complexion**

 **Accelerator and Yang: Road Rage / Short Fuse / Way of the Dragon/ War of the Red Eyes / Push Button to Die**

 **Accelerator and Ruby: One-Way Rose / No Brakes / Rose Manipulation**

 **Accelerator and Blake: Twilight Arrow / Chain and Sickly / Chasing Shadows**

 **Accelerator and Nora: Shattered Bones / Broken Dreams / Nerve Impulse/ Going the Distance**

 **Accelerator and Ren: Tranquil Fury/ Remaining Sane**

 **Accelerator and Velvet: White Flash / Hopping Mad / Unsuspecting Prey**

 **Accelerator and Glynda: Fix and Destroy**

 **Accelerator and Summer: Fast Forward to September**

 **Accelerator and Penny: String Theory/ Broken Toys/ Science Experiments**

 **Accelerator and Sun: Sunny and Sullen**

 **Accelerator and Adam: Charging Bull/ Rabid Animals**

 **Accelerator and Mercury: Killer Moves/ Fade to Gray**

 **Accelerator and Emerald: Red Eyed Killers/ After Image**

 **Accelerator and Coco: Fashionable Disaster/ Fashion is a Science/ White Is The New Black/ Death by Chocolate**

 **Accelerator and Pyrrha: Opposites Attract/ Copper Aftertaste**

 **Accelerator and Raven: Yang's Nightmare/ Fallen Feathers**

 **Accelerator and Neo: Sadistic Streaks**

 **Accelerator and Roman: Stolen Smarts**

 **Accelerator and Salem: Wicked Grins/ Red Eyes, Take Warning**


	23. Hidden Agendas

**Video games are an addiction. When you get involved in one, you tend to forget other stuff, like finding time to write fanfiction. SilverFang88 plays Fallout now and I'm involved in an MMO. So that means a lot less time to actually update. It's been almost a month and I feel rather bad about it, since this story is rather popular. I still try to write a little every day though, even if it's not much. The slice of life is also going on longer than I intended, but people are gathering and soon, everyone will be off on exciting missions. Other than that, not a lot to say except sorry for the slow updates. Thanks to SIlverFang88 for reviewing and let's get comments out of the way real quick.**

 **shadow wolf125767: Really depends on the scene. Accelerator doesn't like social interactions, so I have to find ways to force him into them naturally. I don't think Accelerator would care if she was a Faunus or not. He's not racist.**

 **Guest: Heh, that's pretty funny. Last Order would be happy to have Zwei around more.**

 **Inacio: He does that occasionally.**

 **M1nhTre37: I have the first time it shows up all planned out and who sees it. Don't want to rush and it's hard.**

 **G119: Filthy casuals.**

 **Artyom-Dreizehn: I always found buildup to be really important. Stuff just happening out of nowhere is lazy writing.**

 **Moongaze14: A lot of people wanted the fight, but I needed some way to explain his lack of Aura and ability. Worked out well and Weiss is smart enough to realize that. Heh, Blake getting close to Touma is fun to write. She makes up other reasons as to why. Wings will appear eventually. I have a scene in mind when they first show up.**

 **Guest: All hail, Zwei.**

 **dickythamrin077: That flag was raised when Touma was caught looking at Blake.**

 **Ahsoei: Chapters have been pretty consistent at about 10k words before author notes. Dance has not happened yet and mission occurred a little earlier than in canon.**

 **HydraLightning: If there is no body, then she may not be dead.**

 **HikariNiwa: He picked up a gun once in the LN.**

 **Bluejack222: You're welcome.**

 **zek-xz: There are a couple Semblances I could see affecting Accelerator. That will be brought up at some point. As for Accelerator's concern for others, that's some of the development I hope to convey in this story.**

 **mervinr170: Thanks.**

 **Kingofclubs8129: Heh, Blake and Neo being friends. That is a long shot.**

 **SamGuy: Yep, there's no way he will be comfortable wielding a gun. Maybe a shield or something would be better. Who can turn down Ruby saying she wants to make you a weapon? You can't say no to her sad face easily.**

 **Fernandamichelleraya: Nora should always tell the stories of what happened. Weiss is the only one who COULD be a mentor to Accelerator, at least for a little while. He will learn everything quickly enough. Ruby's and Yang's dad is great. Poor Blake doesn't like dogs.**

 **A certain guest: Huh, an essay, better get to work in my response. Yeah, you can pretend she had a bra. Unless they have a hot spring or beach trip, the group scene probably won't happen. Personal bathrooms, unless it's in the gym changing rooms. I could see that being possible. Ruby would not pull an Index. She would either become obsessed with him or too embarrassed to be in the same room as him. Yang would be the one to try to kill him if he saw Ruby. Heh, marriage cliché would be great. I actually got the idea from season 5 when Yang beat up the large Ursa. The dark aura around it compared to normal Beowolves we saw in earlier episodes. It also ties into the Aura vs Darkness Pyrrha told Jaune about.**

 **I really can't see Thor being added in this fic, though I agree he would love Remnant. He is really OP and not sure I need another one. Already have to take a lot of precautions against Accelerator. I do like the team name though. Blake can't be saved until she is ready to stand up to Adam. That was the key point in season 4-5. I'm trying to think of a good situation for Ruby to bring that up, but I don't want this to turn into pure smut comedy. Neo already made that joke. Pyrrha would want to be first with Jaune though.**

 **Morality will be something interesting to discuss. Cardin likes to pretend he's all that, even though he isn't. Typical male chauvinistic pig. Now, everyone is kicking his ass. He better be careful not to piss off Neo. Neo could own Mercury and Emerald. Cinder keeps her in line. Heh, one of those names for Ruby and Touma might be mentioned in this chapter.**

 **JumpingToaster: Ruby doesn't understand love, so it's going to be a new experience for her. Would take time for it to develop. Touma will get a chance to raise a flag with most of the girls, especially the bad ones. The reason Blake works is because he gained her trust early on. If he had saved someone else, she would be a lot more reserved. Reason I HAD to have her first. Zwei is the child of one of the gods. He guides the silver-eye warriors.**

 **Kiri Kaitou Clover: Timeline got messed up is all. Mt. Glenn happened a little earlier.**

 **Guest: 1) Weapon is already designed. 2) Maybe? Blake wouldn't do that at the start. Touma has to do something even more epic. Soon to come. 3) That's pushing it. 4) Closer to the festival and once Ozpin gets some more information.**

 **Handsomistic1: Sun can be the jealous guy. His item is already planned.**

 **Phoenix 7.49: Maybe he knows already. They can spend the nights. There is just curfew so people aren't wondering in the halls. Blake isn't going to just jump into his bed. Zwei is a unique existence, so don't think about it too deeply. Accelerator will punt Zwei, Yang will be furious, and Zwei will land unharmed and wanting to go again.**

 **TheLastSterling: What's the point of social interactions without love triangles?**

 **Xchrispx: Hmm, you bring up a point. I'll try to do it a little more going forward. Yeah, I know what you mean. Guess being in a new world makes you a little more respectful at the beginning, haha.**

 **PompousBrat: He obviously gets a Gauntlet so he can punch harder. Some person before you mentioned that. I should do a little more of that.**

 **Croniklerx: Eh, we all have RL things to do. Ugh, being sick sucks. You brought up something important. Puppy love until the confession. Beacon girls are a lot bolder than Academy City girls. They will confess a lot easier. Touma won't be able to play off their subtle hints so easily. A misunderstanding between Touma and Ren would be funny to have Nora react to it. I have a couple people who will give Accelerator some trouble. That will be a fun. A kind of rock-paper-scissors. Slice of life is when you put all the jokes out. I still try to push the plot along.**

 **I got a lot of people wanting it and it gave me a chance to do a few things, so it worked out. I like to build up things. Randomly introducing major plot events seems kind of lazy. Things are moving, little slower than I originally planned, but they are. As for your names, you will have to wait until a couple chapters to see what I have selected.**

 **WiliamZ0: Nora had the best story. Kami-yan Disease is already threatening the balance of friendship. Ozpin is like the Aleister of this world. Oh, magic is only limited by imagination. Touma's poor, but who said Neo was? Heh, yeah, Zwei is special.**

 **Formboy1: Betrayed her teammate wants to sleep somewhere else.**

 **Guest: No.**

 **Deep Sea Diver Man: Got to save it when he punches Cinder.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

Things at breakfast were tense to say the least.

Team RWBY, JNPR, TAN, and Last Order were at their usually table, though their noise level was much more subdued. Ruby, Weiss, and Yang were still annoyed that Blake decided to ditch their room because of Zwei. Last Order didn't seem to mind though, so they didn't push too hard yesterday to get her back. Team JNPR found out about Zwei yesterday. Because their room was so close to RWBY's, it was hard to keep a lot of things private. Nora immediately took to loving Zwei too, forcing Ren to virtually drag her away when curfew came. Of course, physically that was impossible, so he just bribed her with pancakes. Touma was trying to avoid Ruby's attempts to catch his eye, as he knew part of this was his fault. He suggested to Blake that trying to work it out with her team would be the best solution. All he received was a shrug.

Of course some had enjoyed the lack of conversation.

Accelerator was eating his meal in peace, without Weiss or Yang trying to talk to him. Blake was reading her book, avoiding everyone. Neo would occasionally flick food at Yang between making suggestive comments on her tablet to Touma.

"You know," Jaune suggested and everyone's head turned toward him. His voice grew meeker at the attention. "We could have Zwei stay in our room if it's such a big deal."

"No way!" Ruby and Weiss said in unison.

"I haven't seen Zwei in forever!" Ruby added. "He has to sleep in my room."

"It's fine, Vomit Boy." Yang assured him. "Blake's just being stubborn."

"Or stupid," Weiss interjected. "Who could hate that adorable face?"

"I really don't like dogs." Blake stated in a tone indicating it was the most obvious reason in the world. Her eyes stared resolutely at her book.

"Come oooonnn, Blake." Ruby whined. "Just give him a chance."

' _Yes, we don't want you in our room.'_ Neo held up her tablet for the table to see.

"Be nice." Touma muttered to her.

"Don't be such a _scaredy-cat_ , Blake." Yang added.

This caused Blake to give her an evil glare.

"Are you okay with Last Order staying with us?" Weiss asked Accelerator. "And Blake taking her spot?"

"The Bookworm keeps to herself so she doesn't bother me." He replied indifferently. "Plus the brat seems to like staying over, so what the hell?"

"Zwei is awesome, MISAKA explains excitedly as MISAKA looks around at the others. Most animals are afraid of MISAKA's electric field and will not approach her." Ruby, Yang, and Weiss glanced over at Blake for a moment to see her cheeks flushed lightly. "Zwei didn't even hesitate, MISAKA continues. He lets MISAKA hug him and pet him, and he licks MISAKA's face. MISAKA loves him, MISAKA finishes."

Weiss gushed at how adorable Last Order's expression was when she talked about Zwei. She had several pictures of the two of them playing on her scroll. One with Nora too, which had resulted in a desk being overturned accidentally. Yang fixed it though and it wasn't her desk, so she didn't complain too much. Nora was just kicked out of the room.

"Do I issue an electric field?" Pyrrha asked Last Order. "You detected my Semblance when I used it briefly."

"You do not, MISAKA explains as MISAKA double checks to be sure." Her ahoge flickered back and forth. "It seems as if you only emit a field when you activate your ability, MISAKA concludes as MISAKA's expression darkens. MISAKA wishes she had that so MISAKA could play with animals."

"You poor thing." Weiss cooed.

"Zwei is special." Ruby declared and puffed out her chest. "He's the greatest dog in the world!"

"Hey, Ren!" Nora suddenly said. "Since they have a mascot for their team, we need one for ours!"

"Let me guess," Ren replied with a small smile. "A sloth?"

"Of course!" Nora stated happily. "They are nature's most perfect predators."

"Wait, what?" Touma turned toward those two. "You have sloths here? Are they actually-…?"

"No." The rest of the table except for Nora, Ren, and Neo answered in unison.

They didn't have to know exactly what sloths were like in his world. Based on those few words it was obvious. Neo rolled her eyes and got up to throw her trash away. Most of the group had gotten use to her, but Weiss and Yang watched her leave out of the corner of their eyes. As long as she was within view, she wasn't breaking any rules.

"So what class do we have next? MISAKA asks as Misaka turns to Weiss."

"Dust Theory." Weiss answered and Accelerator's head swiveled slightly in interest.

"About time." He mumbled. "I need to see if the books I read have any merit. Who teaches it? Tell me it's not the green haired guy."

"Professor Peach teaches it." Weiss reassured him. "However, she's rarely around. Usually Professor Goodwitch teaches it in her place."

"She at least knows what she's doing."

"I'll take that as a compliment." A female voice said from behind him. Glynda had approached them and had an eyebrow raised at him.

"Hello!" Ruby greeted. "Can you we help you with something?"

"I just wanted to explain something to Miss Order and Mr. Kamijou about the dust class coming up." She replied. "Miss Order, due to the volatile nature of Dust, I'm going to ask that you sit back and watch. We have had one too many accidents." Her eyes fell onto Nora, who at least managed to look slightly embarrassed, and then onto Ruby and Jaune, who both avoided eye contact. "Mr. Kamijou… due to your ability, it would be best you avoid public interaction with Dust. I suggest using the excuse of watching Miss Order during that time."

"Okay." Touma replied with a nod.

"Very good." She turned and left before Touma turned to the rest of the table. He blinked in confusion.

"So, what was that look she gave you all?"

"Nora… kind of blew up one room last class." Jaune explained with a chuckle. "Our team had detention, but it turned out to be a blessing. That's how we found Accelerator."

"And Jaune-Jaune mixed up some weird combination of dust." Nora added. "Things went 'fwoosh!' and the light almost blinded everyone."

"I was just trying to make something new." Jaune protested.

"It might have properties as some kind of flash grenade." Pyrrha said reasonably. "I couldn't make out anything besides shapes for several minutes."

"Arc made the idiotic mistake of mixing dust without understanding their properties." Weiss added and glared at Jaune. Her glare made him sink lower into his seat.

"Don't be mean, Weiss," Ruby scolded. "Everyone makes mistakes."

"And haven't you and Ruby had your fair share of mishaps?" Yang added, with an amused grin.

"They smelled like rotten eggs for an hour after one class." Blake agreed. "It took them forever to wash that stench off."

"T-that's because Ruby decided she wanted to skip some of the steps!" Weiss spluttered. "I'm the one who usually stops her, but she occasionally gets passed me."

"Sure, Weiss, whatever you say." Yang said sarcastically.

"It's the truth!"

"Uh, huh."

"Experimenting with dust seems like fun, MISAKA says as MISAKA suddenly grows sad that she can't participate."

"It's only because we have Aura to protect us." Pyrrha explained. "If an accident occurs, we have a safeguard. If you were involved in an explosion, you would get seriously hurt."

"As fun and awesome as explosions are, it's not cool if someone gets seriously hurt." Nora added. "Unless they are a bad guy. Like a pancake stealer. They are the worse."

"Seriously," Ren said solemnly to Accelerator and Touma. "Never touch her pancakes."

Accelerator raised an eyebrow at this, though he didn't say anything. Touma simply looked confused at why pancakes would be so important.

"What's Neo doing?" Yang asked the table suddenly.

Nearly every head at the table turned to see where she was looking. To their surprise, Neo was leaning up against a table with Coco, Velvet, Fox, and Yatsuhashi. None of them could see what Neo was saying because her screen was too far away. However, whatever it was combined with her gestures was causing Coco to laugh and Velvet to start looking worried. The two boys with them acted like this was a normal occurrence.

"When did she meet Coco?" Blake asked.

"No idea." Touma admitted.

"Weren't you supposed to monitor her?" Weiss asked.

"I try, but that's like trying to stop Nora from eating pancakes…."

"No one would dare stop me!" Her response to his remark received a few chuckles.

"…and someone will have to look after her when I'm in detention."

"Look after her like the way Ren looks after Nora." Jaune clarified with a grin. Pyrrha covered her mouth to prevent from laughing. "You are fighting a losing battle."

Ren diverted eye contact from Jaune or he might have nodded automatically in agreement. Neo suddenly came back and everyone grew quiet.

"What kept you?" Touma asked her. Neo beamed at him and patted his head.

' _Secret surprise for tomorrow. Keep your schedule open.'_

No one at the table trusted her.

Except Last Order.

She liked surprises.

* * *

Accelerator was bored overall, but the class wasn't completely useless.

He was mainly using the opportunity to apply book knowledge he received to real world applications. The lesson was pretty straight forward. They were primarily diluting raw fire dust in order to make it easier to use with dust rounds. Highly concentrated dust would give a more powerful explosive charge, but increased the risk of explosions within the bullet. If that happened in the field, a Hunter's weapon could be rendered useless. Most people didn't have powers like Accelerator, so they would be helpless against the Grimm.

His eyes darted over to Touma and Last Order.

Touma was taking notes while Last Order kept peeking at everyone's work with interest. Occasionally, she would ask him something and he would point to his notes. Accelerator huffed at the sight of how chummy those two were and turned back to his own work. He was forced to work with Neo. Though, she mostly let him do what he wanted. He couldn't be positive if she just knew all this already or just didn't care.

"That's way too much you dunce." Accelerator's eyes darted over to Ruby and Weiss. Weiss had grabbed Ruby's wrist and pulled her away from their concoction. "It's going to make it useless."

Accelerator chuckled to himself and glanced at the others. Yang and Blake were doing fine and Ren seemed to be controlling Nora. Jaune was the only one who appeared to be having trouble, with Pyrrha just correcting the mistakes he was about to make rather than doing it herself.

 _Those two are pretty much a married couple, yet he's an idiot. Seriously, I can see the Spartan likes him and I couldn't care less._

He became bored again.

Learning on his own was a lot more productive than a large classroom of individuals who were not nearly as intelligent as he was. Weiss was probably the closest one there and she could answer any questions he had. Well, if he had one. Their short talk yesterday filled in a lot of holes in what he figured out against the Grimm. His sights had changed from using raw dust to seeing how Dust Technology worked. The force field around the arena in Glynda's combat class was a perfect example. That technology reminded him of the Windowless Building back home.

 _I wonder if I could make it portable._ He thought to himself. _I can strap it to the brat to prevent her from getting into trouble all the time._

A finger poked his arm and he turned to Neo, who held up her tablet with a mischievous smile on her face.

' _Want to see something funny?'_ Accelerator raised an eyebrow at this and Neo held something between her fingers.

It was a tiny fragment of a fire dust crystal.

Neo glanced at it and then pointed with her free hand discreetly toward Yang and Blake. No words were said, but her plan was obvious to him. Childish pranks were beneath him and he wasn't going to agree. On the other hand, he wasn't going to say no, as it didn't concern him. His face remained neutral and Neo took his silence as encouragement. Using her ability, the dust disappeared due to her illusion and she flicked the crystal into the air. Though he couldn't see it, Neo's skills were enough to know where it landed.

"Blake?" Yang asked. "Why is our mixture sparking?"

"Get down!" Blake yelled and everyone around them dropped to the floor as their container started shaking.

An explosion followed a second later, leaving a charred mark on their table.

"Is everyone okay?!" Glynda called out. Once she was sure they were, her eyes fell on Yang and Blake. "Miss Xiao-Long, Miss Belladonna, explain yourselves!"

"It wasn't my fault!" Yang denied instantly.

"I don't know what happened." Blake stated, a little more in control of her emotions than Yang. "One second, everything was fine and we were just about finished. The next, it started sparking."

"I see." She straightened her glasses. "It will be hard to determine what the exact cause was with the evidence destroyed. However, it was your project, so both of you will stay behind and clean up the room. Understood?"

Both nodded in defeat as Neo smirked from the safety of her seat, making a small fist pump. The only one who noticed besides Accelerator was Nora, who looked confused at what Neo was doing.

Accelerator yawned, still refusing to get involved, even if a part of him enjoyed seeing Yang in a panic. Neo didn't like her, that was obvious, so these kinds of things were to be expected. It was only a small prank and the brat was far away from everyone, so he didn't have to throttle the midget for putting the brat in danger. Instead, he was thinking of the next step to his own research.

 _The hero is going to be in detention after classes, so I'm probably going to be stuck with the midget. The library would be the best place to look for some basic engineering designs until I understand the mechanics on using dust as energy sources. I can drag her along by force if I have to. She knows better than to cross me or I'll tell the Bookworm what really happened. I wonder how similar their tech is to Academy City's weapons._ His eyebrows narrowed. _I haven't heard from Ozpin recently. I should check on the status of our situation._

The bell rang and everyone started packing their things. He left with Last Order next to him and Neo mocking Yang between her and Touma.

Well, he thought Neo was mocking Yang.

Blake's eyes narrowed as they left.

* * *

"That was dull." Touma muttered to himself, finally leaving detention.

Glynda made them write a five page paper on why interrupting her class is wrong. His hand was cramping slightly, but it wasn't that unusual from how punishments were distributed back home. Writing reflective essays and cleaning duties tended to be a pretty common tactic for a detention. Students would either do something useful or write down why they were there in the first place so it sunk into their minds why they shouldn't do it again.

 _Schools similar wherever you go I guess._

He walked through the halls of Beacon, aware of many people casting glances toward him. Ruby had explained that Accelerator had beaten Pyrrha, which was considered impossible by many of the students' standards. Because Touma was the leader over him, people would want to see what he was like. He also supposed it was because of him defeating Cardin and Glynda's explanation of his hand. Blake had warned him others would be interested in his unusual power. After making the now familiar route back to his room, he rounded a corner and came face to face with Jaune and Ren.

"Hey guys." He greeted them.

"How was the detention?" Jaune asked.

"Eh, similar to what I'm used to." Touma shrugged. "Essay about not talking out of line."

"She seemed to have left you off easily." Ren commented. "Usually, after one detention with her, no one wants to go back."

"I had a feeling she wasn't that mad at me." Touma admitted. "It was more like she couldn't just ignore my outburst. It was kind of my fault."

"Cardin's attitude was the cause of it." Ren stated firmly. "Even Nora was getting visibly upset. While, yes, you could have controlled your emotions better, they were understandable."

"He's kind of a jerk to everyone." Jaune admitted. "I got bullied by him a lot when I first joined Beacon."

"What happened?" Touma asked and frowned. "He's a big mouth, but did he actually get physical?"

"It was more… he had information on me." Touma noticed Jaune and Ren share a look. He wasn't going to ask, because it didn't really matter what the reason was. "And I put up with it until he tried to get Pyrrha involved in one of his so-called pranks. The problem was the prank he wanted to play would have caused her injury. I couldn't let my friend get hurt because of a mistake I made. I stood up to him and he's gotten a little better recently."

"Nice one." Touma told him and shared a fist bump with Jaune. He used his left hand of course. "So what are you guys up to?"

"We were planning to kill some time since Nora kicked us out." Jaune answered.

Touma looked confused, so Ren elaborated.

"Nora took the loss in video games to Last Order and Accelerator very hard. She and Last Order are now using the evening to brush up on their video games skills. Pyrrha was roped into it, as Nora declared it was about time for her to learn how to play well. They officially made it a girls' night."

"She's the true leader of the team, isn't she?" Touma asked sarcastically with a smirk.

"Yes." Jaune answered and the corners of Ren's mouth twitched. "Oh, you might want to avoid RWBY's room, they are talking about Blake's rooming situation."

"Ah, that's got to be awkward." Touma said and rubbed his neck. "I'll avoid them then. Though, Ruby said she wanted to see me after my detention, but never said when."

"She will find you." Jaune said. His words could have been ominous, but he said them rather fondly. "Once Ruby wants to hang out with you, it's hard to avoid her."

"Guess I'll head back to my room then." Touma conceded. "I bet Neo doesn't want to be cooped up there and I doubt Accelerator will want to go anywhere."

"Actually," Ren corrected. "He went to the library to look into some dust engineering. I was a little surprised, actually. That's a rather advanced topic and, while most students build their weapons engineering outside of that is not taught at Beacon." Jaune shuffled his feet at this. "There should be some references in the library though. Neo was forced to come along because he didn't want her to spend too much time around Last Order."

"Something about the midget corrupting her." Jaune recited and Touma laughed. Suddenly, a shiver ran down his spine.

 _There's no way she could know, right?_

"Any idea what she has in store for you tomorrow?" Jaune asked.

"Not in the slightest." Touma replied. "All I know is if it's a surprise, it's not going to go well for me." He rubbed his chin. "She did buy that freezer and has nothing to put in it. Maybe she wants me to pick up some ice cream."

"Well, her name is Neo." Jaune pointed out.

"She eats way too much of that." Touma said with a laugh. "I'm surprised she doesn't get fat off of it." He bit the corner of his lip. "I won't make the mistake of saying that to her again."

"Yeah," Jaune acknowledged. "I once made the mistake of saying something that sounded like I was implying Nora was fat. Things did not go well."

"That is an understatement." Ren added, shivering at the thought.

She demanded the team go on a 10 mile run every morning before breakfast on top of what they did normally.

"Moving on." Jaune continued. "Interested in joining us, Touma? We can teach you some of Remnant games our teams enjoy playing occasionally."

"Sure, sounds better than shutting myself up in an empty room. It will be good to spend some time with other guys. The girls are nice and all, but…" His words trailed off.

"We understand." Ren reassured him. "Jaune and I routinely do our own thing and you are welcome to join whenever you are free."

"Growing up with seven sisters, you learn to find time to hang out with guys." Jaune added.

"Seven!?" Touma asked, thinking he misheard.

"That's the usually reaction." Jaune replied with a laugh.

The three of them walked together, joking around, when Touma felt confident enough to ask them something that has been on his mind.

"I've been wondering," Touma started off. "Ever since I arrived, are all Huntresses like supermodels or something? I only had Neo to compare to, but every girl at Beacon seems to be a supermodel."

Jaune and Ren shared a look and Touma was worried he said something insensitive. He had tried to phase his words carefully. Back home, he and his friends would have called them hot and then spiraled into an uncontrollable vortex or arguing who is the most attractive.

His worries were quickly dispelled when Jaune and Ren laughed.

"We had this very same conversation at one point too." Jaune finally told him when he stopped.

"Being a Hunter or Huntress is physically demanding." Ren explained. "So it would only be natural for them to be fit." He did smile. "But, yes; the girls our age are very attractive."

"Don't let Nora hear you say that." Jaune teased and Ren sighed.

"We are not like that." Ren said in a calm tone.

"Really?" Touma asked surprised. "Nora said you were together-…"

"But not together-together." Ren interjected.

"Do you want to be though?" Touma questioned.

His silence caused Jaune and Touma to continue to needle him about it for another five minutes.

* * *

"Okay, Blake." Blake was sitting on Yang's bed, looking at Yang with a calm and collected look. She wasn't holding a book this time and giving her teammates her undivided attention. Ruby was standing nervously behind Yang with Weiss sitting down on her own bed. Yang paused to glance back at the other two before turning back to Blake and continued. "Enough being a sour puss and move back in. Zwei isn't going to hurt you."

"I know that." Blake replied, annoyed her teammate implied she was afraid of that dog. "But I don't want to live in a room with a dog."

"Why not?" Ruby asked. "He's house trained and hasn't done anything to your stuff. We miss you."

"I simply don't like them." Blake stated, still remaining calm. "Besides, it's not like I'm avoiding you guys. I join you for meals, we study and train together, and I even come to spend time here. I can stand dogs for a short time, but living with one… It's only a few days anyways. When Zwei goes back home, I'll move back in."

"That…. might be a bit of an issue." Ruby said slowly. Blake's eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I called Dad and asked him how long we could keep Zwei." Ruby explained. "Turns out, he's going to be longer than he thought and we might need to watch him most of the semester."

"I see." A long silence followed Blake's statement. "It's a good thing I have an alternative bedroom then."

"Come on!" Weiss interjected loudly. "This is so stupid. Yes, Zwei is a dog and you are… you." Nothing needed to be said about her Faunus heritage. "But he's not bothering you and, besides wanting someone to play with now and then, he doesn't bother anyone. He rarely even barks. Plus, he's adorable. There is no reason to act so childish and demand a new sleeping arrangement because of him."

Blake crossed her arms and pursed her lips tightly, refusing to say anything.

"Maybe there's another reason for this." Yang said slowly and raised an eyebrow. Everyone turned toward her. "Maybe Blakey is using Zwei as an excuse to get closer to a certain someone. Maybe at night, she pretends to be cold and he could warm her up."

Weiss blinked in surprise and rubbed her chin while Blake's eyes widened in shock.

Along with a little annoyance at the accusation.

Ruby's mouth fell open.

"Yaaang!" She wailed. "Blake wouldn't do that. Even if it wasn't because of Zwei, I'm sure she has a real reason for moving in with another team." She turned a hopeful gaze toward Blake. "Right?"

Ruby was actually more concerned about Blake not being into Touma. She had her suspicions, but Blake often hid her emotions. There was no way Blake would leave their team over Zwei, she knew that. The hopeful expression she was giving her was mostly to find out exactly what Blake was doing. Blake opened her mouth to answer and then paused. A way out of the situation instantly came to her.

With some luck, Yang would stop bothering her.

"Actually," Blake said slowly. "There was another reason…. and it's not that!"

She added that last bit when Yang opened her mouth.

"Explain." Weiss ordered.

"Since Touma knows I'm a cat Faunus." Blake obliged. "He understands my dislike of dogs… any dogs." She added that last bit for Ruby to say it wasn't anything personal about Zwei. "Then with Last Order wanting to spend time with Ruby and Weiss, it was the perfect opportunity to gain access to his room."

"You wanted to spy on him when he's most vulnerable!" Yang declared.

"No!" Blake denied instantly.

"Be quiet, Yang." Weiss snapped. "Let her finish."

"As I was saying," Blake continued. "I was worried Neo might be up to something, maybe trying to get Touma and Accelerator to give her information of some kind. I know Accelerator won't tell her much, but Touma is rather open."

The other girls nodded in agreement.

"I thought we agreed to give Neo the benefit of the doubt?" Ruby protested.

"I want to." Blake lied. "But I can't shake the feeling she is up to something. I don't want her to think I'm purposely following her around, so I used Zwei as an excuse."

"So," Yang prompted. "Have you found anything?"

"No. Last night she just glared at me most of the evening and didn't try anything."

"Accelerator told us she wouldn't try anything because she _knows_ she's being watched." Weiss pointed out. "Though, I will admit your reasoning is rather solid."

"Thank you." Blake replied gratefully.

"Perfect Accelerator knows everything." Yang grumbled.

The others ignored her.

"So how about a compromise?" Weiss continued. "We give you a week and, if you don't have any real evidence Neo is up to something, you return back to our room. You can say you finally tolerate Zwei or something."

"Great idea, Weiss!" Ruby cheered. "I knew you missed her."

"I miss being about to sleep without you mumbling about why Blake hates Zwei all night." Weiss corrected.

"Missed you too, Ice Queen." Blake said with a small smile.

"Hey!"

"Well, now that we know Blake is coming back, I need to go." Ruby said abruptly. "I promised Touma we could get started on something important tonight."

She then proceeded to bolt toward the door.

"What's so impor-… aaaannnnddd she's gone." Yang said. "Hmm, I really should be worried with how naïve she is, but I doubt Touma will actually do anything. I doubt he has any ill intentions and he's almost as dense as Jaune is with relationships."

Blake's lips tightened ever so slightly, though it went unnoticed by the others.

"I need to get going too." Weiss stated. "I need to go to the library and look something up for Doctor Oobleck's assignment."

"Has nothing to do with Accelerator saying he was going there to research something." Yang added.

"No, it does not." Weiss's pale cheeks darkened slightly before she turned and headed out the door.

"Make sure the heat gets turned up!" Yang called to her. "With the Ice Queen and King there, the books will freeze!" Weiss gave some generic insult she didn't catch because the door shut. "Heh, she's so transparent."

"I'm heading out too." Blake told Yang, jumping down from the bed. "I'll be in TAN's room if you need me."

"Wait!" Yang reached out and grabbed Blake's shoulder before she could get away. "I can't prove you have an alternative reason for what you are doing, but I do know you like him."

"W-what?!" Blake's face flushed and then quickly regained her composure. "My _feelings_ for him have nothing to do with this." She added as much sarcasm as she could into that word to try to dissuade Yang.

"Uh, huh." Blake could tell she wasn't convinced. "If you are using this chance to have more opportunities to get to know him, fine. I can understand that. Remember though, Neo is dangerous. Be careful around her. Don't do anything stupid and be honest with me. If you learn of anything, tell me. You're my partner and friend, Blake. I hate being kept out of the loop."

Blake paused.

"Thank you for your concern." She finally said. "I promise I'll be careful. I won't overwork myself like I did with the White Fang."

"That's all I ask."

"And if I'm being honest." Blake continued and Yang's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You remember that explosion in class today?"

"How could I forget it?" Yang asked incredulously. "It almost burnt my hair. What did we do wrong?"

"Nothing." Blake reassured her. "We followed the instructions to the letter. The thing is, I think Neo did something, but I can't be sure."

"How could you tell?"

"She seemed to tell Accelerator something and then made a flicking motion." Blake explained. "But I couldn't see anything, even with my vision."

"Neo does have illusion powers." Yang pointed out and rubbed her chin.

"My thoughts exactly."

"Neo doesn't like us, does she?"

"No," Blake answered. _Especially me._

"And I doubt Accelerator will tell us if she did anything." Yang added.

"Probably not. If it doesn't concern him or Last Order, he tends to ignore it."

"I don't know." Yang said thoughtfully. "He and Weiss seem to chat frequently. More than just academics too. She's been trying to drop the hint and he's not getting it."

"More like he's ignoring it." Blake replied with a small smirk. "He noticed Jaune and Pyrrha fast enough."

"Hah, yeah." Yang threw her arm over Blake's shoulder. "I know you don't like gossiping, but you are so good at it."

"I simply keep my eyes and ears open." Blake answered and her bow twitched. Yang raised an eyebrow in surprise, but before she could say anything, Blake disappeared through the door.

"Is it my imagination or is she getting a little bolder with being a Faunus?" Yang scratched her head. "Guess it's a good thing if she is? Maybe she can walk about without the bow soon." Her eyes fell onto her desk. "I really should get started on Oobleck's assignment too, but it's going to take so long." She sighed. "Well, at least Weiss and Accelerator will be at the library. I can tease them a bit while I get what I need."

* * *

"I can't believe you." Weiss fumed, as she and Yang headed back to their dorm from the library.

"Don't be like that." Yang brushed off her anger. "You two were totally going at it."

"Someone we knew was actually developing an interesting theory on dust use, and you interrupted him." Weiss hissed. "I knew he picked things up quickly, but he's easily passed us in theory. His practical skills are behind us of course, as his Aura is unlocked. Some of the uses he mentioned would be quite revolutionary. I wonder if I could pass the designs on to my sister? Of course, we still need to wait until progress with them has gone furth-…"

"Yes, yes," Yang interrupted. "You want him to make the Schnee business even larger, enough about that. So tell me…" She threw her arm over Weiss's shoulder. "I saw the progress you were making. He actually talks to you without snapping. Only one besides you he does that with is Ruby, and I don't think it's possible to actually hate her."

"He has a short temper." Weiss replied with a shrug. "And he's not as good at blocking your annoying antics as I am. I'm sure he will pretend you don't exist like I do."

"Wow, shot to the heart there, Weiss."

"I know you steal some of my hair products." Weiss added and the corners of her lips twitched. "So we are even."

"Aww, Weiss made a joke." Yang grinned and removed her arm from Weiss's shoulder. "Your stuff is really nice though, even if it's a bit expensive. Seriously, after seeing how well it worked, I took a look into getting some myself. Geez, learn some moderation."

"I prefer quality products." Weiss replied sternly. "I won't tolerate second best."

"Accelerator seems the same way." Yang pointed out. "No wonder you two get along. I'll help you get some alone time with him, on one _conditioner_ though." No laugh came forth and she continued. "You have to buy me some of that shampoo."

"And _why_ would I do that?"

"I'll make sure Neo and Last Order aren't nearby." Yang explained. "And Neo can be a handful. Sounds fair, right?"

There was a pause and Weiss glanced over at her slightly for a moment.

"I'll… think about it." She conceded.

"Close enough." Yang laughed. "At least you aren't as bad as Jaune. I swear I'm going to lock him and Pyrrha in a room together and not let them out until something happens."

"Something?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"PG, R-stuff, I don't care. One of them needs to make the first move."

"What she sees in Arc I have no idea."

"Same thing Ruby does obviously." Yang said. "He's a dork, sure, but he's honest. Try not to be jealous if Pyrrha does start dating him, Weiss Queen."

"As if." Weiss sniffed. "And don't try to distract me with all your gossip. I'm still angry you interrupted our discussion."

"Hey!" Yang cried out indignantly. "I was at the library for a reason." She held up her book. "See, I got it."

"Reason I'm only angry and not furious." Weiss explained with a smirk. Even Yang laughed at this when they reached their room. "Just leave us alone when we are working."

"Sure thing, but keep me updated on the status." Yang reached for the door and heard a voice.

"Hold still!"

"Sounds like Ruby's back." Yang commented to Weiss and then heard another voice.

"How much longer?" Yang froze when she heard the male voice.

"Seems like she brought Touma with her." She added.

"So?" Weiss asked and stepped forward to open the door, when she heard something that caused her to freeze.

"Almost done." Ruby said, her voice slightly muffled by the closed door. "Are you sure you're only a year older than me? You're pretty big."

Yang heard it too and shared a look with Weiss. Both of them looked confused at what they just heard.

"Did…?" Yang asked, trailing off.

"Can't be." Weiss replied.

"Quiet," Yang whispered urgently. "They are still talking and I missed some of it."

"Wow, I wasn't expecting this," Ruby continued. "I figured you had some experience but it's still...wow! Just looking at it I can tell that you've seen a lot of action where you're from."

"Hehe," Touma's shaky laugh could be heard. "Way more than a lot of people know. Most of my class sees me as a simple unlucky classmate. They have no idea what I do at night."

"C-can I touch it? T-that's not a weird to ask is it? I-I mean, it's fine if you don't want me to of course! I figured I'd ask before I went ahead and...well, you know."

Ruby's voice was a combination of excitement and hesitation. Yang's hair began to stand up and Weiss could feel the heat wash over her.

"I guess? Are you sure you want to?" Touma asked.

"Oh! It's so smooth! It looks so rough when I'm looking at it compared to when I'm actually touching it. Reminds me of dad's, but bigger."

"Okay!" Yang yelled out furiously before Weiss could stop her. The door flew open with a bang. "What is going on!?"

Ruby was standing behind Touma, who was sitting on a chair. A tape measure was wrapped around his arm and his shirt sleeve was pulled up as far as it could go, revealing his shoulder. Ruby had frozen with a hand on it.

"Yang!?" She asked in shock. "What I have I told you about slamming open the door? Goodwitch is going to yell at me again."

"Never mind that," Weiss interjected. "What are you two doing?" Her eyes traveled between Ruby and Touma.

"Ruby had an idea for a weapon she wanted to make." Touma explained, eyebrow raised out of confusion. "She just needed to take some measurements before she got to work on it."

"It's important to develop the weapon for the user." Ruby added. "Unlike those mass produce rifles the military uses, Hunter weapons should be individually designed. It has to fit his frame perfectly."

"I've told you I'm not a Hunter." Touma pointed out and he sounded like he mentioned this several times.

"Close enough." Ruby hushed. "He's got this really cool scar here." She pointed to his shoulder. "And I guess it goes down his back. It's bigger than even dad's."

"I get involved in a lot of misfortune." Touma explained and gave a force chuckle. "That and I don't have Aura to prevent wounds like you guys."

"Oh." Yang blinked and her hair stopped moving from the heat she was previously emitting. "That's what you were talking about."

"Were you listening?" Ruby demanded. "It's not cool to eavesdrop on people, Yang."

"We just caught the last few words." Weiss reassured her. "Normally, we make our own weapons. What made you decide to make him one?"

"He won't be here that long, and he needs something to protect himself with." Ruby explained. "Plus, when he goes back, he can show it off to all his friends."

"I did warn her she would have to dial back the firepower." Touma added. "Laws in our city prevent certain things, like flamethrowers."

Ruby huffed and looked severely disappointed.

"Well then, sorry about interrupting." Yang added, a grin forming on her face now that she knew her younger sister wasn't doing anything inappropriate. Now was the time to make Touma think they did. Unlike Accelerator, he was easily embarrassed. "If I knew you two were locked up alone in our room, I would have gone somewhere else. Didn't think she would have her hands all over you and talking about your weapon."

"You and Neo are so much alike." Touma groaned, when Ruby squeaked something incomprehensible and hid herself behind him. "Not sure why you two don't get along."

"I'm nothing like her!" Yang denied loudly, offended at the comparison.

"I don't know," Weiss mused. "I kind of see a resemblance. You both can be rather infuriating."

"And like to tease people." Ruby added.

"Is this pick on Yang day?!" Yang demanded.

"It is now an annual holiday!" Weiss declared with a smirk. Ruby zipped over to her and gave her a quick high five.

"Weiss cracking jokes," Yang grumbled. "Must be a sign of the end times." She shook her head and turned to Ruby. "So, what are you making our residential world hopper here?"

"It's a surprise!" Ruby's smile indicated she wasn't taking any more questions about the subject. Yang raised an eyebrow and turned to Touma.

"Don't ask me." He answered before she could utter a single word. "She's been keeping me out of the loop too." He looked up at the ceiling. "My danger sense has been going off for a while."

"Seems like your senses are working then." Weiss agreed.

"Hey!" Ruby protested indignantly.

* * *

"Welcome back," Ozpin greeted, turning around in his chair. Night had fallen and a small black bird had flown in through an open window to land in the chair opposite him.

"We have a big problem." Qrow said, after he transformed back.

"I take it that was the case when you rushed all the way here and refused to explain anything over a secure connection." Ozpin agreed.

"That man I was checking on, turns out his name is Wellen Fischer." Qrow began. "It also seems I wasn't the only one trying to find him. Starts with Raven and it gets worse."

He took a swig from a flash he pulled out of his vest.

"Raven?" Ozpin asked. "Why would she…?" He trailed off with a contemplated look on his face. "What do you mean worse?"

"I'll get to that in a moment. As for Raven, her connections must have informed her and she wanted to verify if this guy was a threat or not. She actually sought me out, so something has her on edge. After meeting him I can see why. We thought he had some water controlling Semblance, but it's so much more." He leaned forward and slammed the flash on the desk. "He can fucking control them, Oz! Somehow that guy is fucking controlling them!"

"Them?" Ozpin asked, smelling the amount of alcohol on Qrow's breath. He leaned forward, which increased the smell and stared directly into Ozpin's eyes.

"That guy can control Grimm with his ability. Raven and I fought dozens of them."

"I need details, Qrow." Ozpin cross his fingers and his brow creased. "How? What exactly did they do and how were the Grimm responding to his control?"

"He forced water into their ears and then their eyes changed blue." Qrow said and shrugged. "This isn't some run-of-the-mill Semblance. They followed commands, but they seemed to follow his intentions too. Like… they could work together effortlessly and with him wordlessly. I would say… maybe intent would be something transferred. This power… it can't be a Semblance. Do you think it's possible he was using magic? He's not a Maiden, but could there be others?"

"Seems what Mr. Kamijou told me was accurate." Ozpin mumbled to himself. "That man followed them."

"Kamijou?" Qrow asked, taking an extra-large swig.

"The boy you met who suppresses Aura and can erase Grimm." Ozpin explained.

Alcohol spat out of Qrow's mouth.

"Erase Grimm?!"

"Mr. Kamijou's power not only suppresses Aura, but actually erases Grimm on contact." Ozpin explained while pulling out a handkerchief and wiping his face. "They seem to be afraid of it and will not approach him past a certain point. Based on what happened in Mt. Glenn, I also surmise the longer he stays in an area, the radius widens. It may be giving something off that grows in intensity the longer he is in one location."

"Ozpin," Qrow said slowly. "What kind of shit have you been getting into since I've been gone?"

A small smile formed on his face.

"We simply have visitors from another world."

It took a while to explain the situation to Qrow. Ozpin had pieced together a rather complete version of events from Touma, Accelerator, and Last Order. The three of them had been trying to stop a person Touma called a magician after he kidnapped Last Order. Due to a ritual mishap, they were all thrown into Remnant. Things got a little hazy here, as none of them knew much about Wellen. Touma had told Ozpin his name and Qrow found it out on his own. All Touma had been able to tell of Wellen's magic was he could control water. That was easily enough to discover. The situation Ozpin wanted to discuss involved magic from their world and the control of Grimm. At the end, Qrow sat down his flask on the table.

A second later, after thinking better of it, he picked it up and gulped the rest down.

"In your opinion," Ozpin asked, standing up and looking out into the night. "What do you make of Wellen's power? Do you truly believe it's magic?"

"I have to say it is." Qrow confirmed. "Though I don't think we can ever be sure unless you witness it. Controlling Grimm doesn't seem like it could be anything else."

"No. It shouldn't be." Ozpin grew quiet in thought. "Salem will not take this lightly. I expect her to move out."

"Remember when I said things get worse?" Qrow reminded him.

"She knows?"

"Oh, she knows." Another flask appeared next to the empty one. "Raven and I were ambushed by a large number of Grimm before we could capture him. A seer arrived and she talked to him. She fucking talked to him, like he was a lost child." Qrow slammed a hand on the table. "He went with her! The bastard went with her!" He grabbed his head. "It all makes sense now. If she has access to his magic, added to her own, who knows how this is going to affect us; no, everyone."

"It is indeed a threat." Ozpin agreed. "But we have two people on our side. They may be young, but I feel their arrival is going to be beneficial to us. I don't know how long it will take to get them home. My friend should be arriving this weekend to discuss our options. We have a lead, but that's all."

"A kid that erases Grimm and Aura plus a kid that has the most ridiculous power of vectors I have ever heard." Qrow recited. "Yeah, video games have become real. I have to accept that."

"I can provide some good news." Qrow raised an eyebrow. "Neither of those two will go over to Salem's side."

"What makes you say that?"

"First." Ozpin held up a finger. "Mr. Accelerator has had experience with people like Salem. Those who promise everything and give nothing. He prioritizes Miss Order's wellbeing above all others. If Salem attempted to hurt that girl, he will not let an army stop him. As for Mr. Kamijou… he has the same eyes as Miss Rose."

Qrow coughed.

"He has silver eyes? I didn't think he did, but I wasn't paying attention when I glanced at him the first time."

"No, no, not that. I meant that he is a pure soul. His eyes held a powerful conviction and belief. Salem will not be able to get to him. Though, I wonder how someone like him became so strong willed. He must have suffered greatly or witnessed others suffering." Ozpin rubbed his chin. "Anyway, he has assimilated quite easily into Beacon. Your niece's group took those three in without too much issue. She also appears to be rather found of Mr. Kamijou."

"Great," Qrow muttered. "I better not have to give her the birds and bees talk again. Tai did that and I'm not sure she understood everything." He laughed at the memory of a red faced little girl covering herself with her hood. He flexed his fingers. "I'll have to take care of that boy if he tries anything."

"You should talk with him." Ozpin suggested. "According to him, bad luck follows him around. You have something to talk about."

"Ha, ha, ha. Very funny." Qrow rolled his eyes. "Anything else about these guys?"

"Mr. Accelerator seems to have a lack of respect for authority…"

"We will get along great."

"… and then there is the circumstance around Mr. Kamijou's Aura."

"Didn't you say his hand suppresses it?" Qrow pointed out. "It would explain why I didn't detect it when we met that one time."

"I was curious as to if people from his world had Aura." Ozpin admitted. "I could hardly unlock Mr. Accelerator's. There is no trust between us. Mr. Kamijou, on the other hand, was willing."

"You actually released the kid's Aura?" Qrow sounded surprised. "That doesn't happen often."

"No, and it was a good thing I did." Ozpin's face darkened, something Qrow noticed.

"What happened?" He asked, unusually serious.

"This does not leave this room." Ozpin stated and Qrow nodded, aware very few things they discussed ever left the room. "At least the odds of someone trying to unlock his Aura are low now that I've tried. Things would get… complicated if the students found out."

"Oz, I don't like the look on your face."

"Here's what happened, Qrow."

Qrow did not drink once during Ozpin's retelling.

* * *

The following morning after breakfast, Touma found himself backing away slowly from the tiny demon in front of him.

He had faced many things normal people would have never dreamed of. Life and death struggles against people with monstrous abilities, speed and strength exponentially greater than his, and even Magic Gods who would recreate the world at a whim. He had been shocked, shot at, kicked by teleporters, and knocked around more times than he could count. Nevertheless, he still stood up against them if he had to; especially if someone was in trouble. This time, it was him.

He gulped as his eyes fell onto the girl behind Neo.

"Aww," Coco laughed. "He's afraid, how adorable."

"You might as well accept it." Yatsuhashi said, as he walked passed. "Your teammate covered all her bases."

"Coco," Velvet said nervously. "If he doesn't want to…"

"But he needs to. Right Neo?" Coco turned to the diminutive girl, who nodded enthusiastically.

"I'm going to have to put my foot down here, Neo." Touma told her. "I can get clothes just fine on my own."

Neo's expression was riddled with doubt and she held up her tablet.

' _I saw what you considered wearing before. No teammate of mine is going to dress like a hick.'_

"Who dresses like a hick? At least I don't dress up like an ice cream bar!" He regretted his words a moment later when Neo kicked him in the shin.

"See," Ruby said proudly to her team. "I'm not the only one who doesn't like clothes shopping."

"It's not the same thing at all, you dunce." Weiss replied.

"Hey," Yang whispered and nudged Blake. "Why don't you volunteer? You dress like a sexy kitty, so you're knowledgeable about clothes. Could get some quality time with him."

Blake looked up from her book and almost rolled her eyes.

"It's not like I know men's fashion." Blake stated fairly. She had actually thought about it and was about to volunteer, when Yang spoke up. Now, she didn't want to give her partner the satisfaction. "You are more up to date than I am."

"Hmm, maybe I will." Yang stretched. "I need to pick up something in Vale anyways. Plus, I'll use the opportunity to talk you up."

"Don't you dare!" Blake hissed, but it was too late. Yang had already waltzed over to the others. Touma was still hopping on one foot from the pain.

"Hey, Coco!" Yang called out. "Mind if I go with you guys?"

"Sure thing, Yang." Coco grinned and the two high fived. "Always can use an extra opinion. Velvet's coming, but she always tries to spare people's feelings."

"I can give advice!" Velvet protested and Coco slapped her butt. "Eep!"

"Sure you can, Bun-Bun." Coco replied. "But I want some more brutally honest opinion. I'm getting reimbursed for this."

"Reimbursed?" Touma asked Neo, who grinned.

' _I promised her I would buy this new pair of shoes I heard her talking about.'_

"You have money?" Touma asked surprised. Neo's grin widened and she held up a card.

"Wow." Pyrrha said with aww, the first from Team JNPR speaking up. "That's a Platinum card. Wonder how she got one."

"Weiss probably has one." Nora added.

"I do." Weiss confirmed. "I bet the one Neo has uses stolen money."

"Be nice." Ruby whispered.

' _Use this to buy at least three casual outfits for when he's not in class or training.'_ Neo instructed Coco, as she handed Touma the card. ' _And pick up those shoes you wanted.'_

"Sure thing." Coco replied. "And if you're satisfied, feel free to call Coco's Fashion Advice Hotline anytime." Neo saluted and turned to Touma. She poked him once to get his attention and pressed a piece of paper in his hand.

' _I left a stock of my favorite ice cream at this location.'_ Neo explained. _'Pick it up for me since I can't leave and we have a freezer now.'_

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" He replied and Neo smiled sweetly at him. Well, it would have been sweet if she didn't slide her finger across her throat. Her eyes darted toward Accelerator, who was leaving. She waved goodbye to the group and bounded after him.

"Interesting teammates you have." Coco commented. "She really wanted to go with you, but has to stay behind. Poor girl."

"Right." Touma wasn't sure exactly what excuse Neo gave to Coco about having to stay in Beacon. It definitely wasn't that she was an ex-criminal and it was part of her probation.

"Don't look so glum." Yang said to cheer him up, throwing an arm over his shoulder. "This will only take four, five hours tops."

"Four to five hours?!" Touma was in shock.

Velvet, Ruby, Blake, and Jaune gave him pitying looks. Touma gazed around the room at his friends, looking for some kind of help. Blake wanted to help, but she also didn't want to stand out in front of everyone. It probably wouldn't help in the long run and she would just be dragged along too. The look on Yang's face confirmed her theory when their eyes met.

Besides, it wasn't like he was going to die clothes shopping.

Velvet had told them Coco's previous bagboys survived ninety five percent of the time.

Then, out of nowhere, Touma received a helping hand.

"Mind if I tag along?" Jaune asked. "I need to pick up something for one of my sisters. She has a birthday coming up."

It wasn't true, but he could get a present now and not have to worry about it next month. It was mostly to help Touma by having another guy there. Shopping with girls was not an unusual occurrence for a guy with seven sisters. Touma mouthed a silent thank you.

"Sure thing." Coco said immediately, after a quick glance at a hopeful Velvet. "We could use a bagboy."

"Just don't let him near them during the bullhead ride." Yang informed her.

"I can control it… usually."

"We are burning daylight, ladies." Coco announced. "Let's get going."

She turned and pushed Touma in the back toward the door. Not given much choice, as Neo had sold his soul for a pair of shoes, he followed her along with Yang. Velvet and Jaune picked up the rear and made some small talk. Touma thought he saw Coco glancing back occasionally and grinning.

The rest of Team JNPR and RWBY, along with Last Order, were planning their own activities.

"Ren and I are off to hunt some Grimm!" Nora announced. "Want to come, Pyrrha?"

"Ah, not today, but thank you." She replied. "I would hate to intrude. I'm planning to practice in the area with a few training bots. There are a couple new combos I wanted to practice."

"It would not be intruding," Ren assured her. "But I understand. If you wish to join later, just give us a call. I'm pretty sure Nora will want to be out there most of the day."

"The Grimm will fear the Queen of the Castle!"

"All shall fear you." Ren confirmed with a small smile.

The two of them waved goodbye to the rest of group and headed to the locker room to collect their weapons. Pyrrha went with them since they had to go to the same location.

"Well," Weiss said to Ruby, Blake, and Last Order, as she stood up. "I'm going to take advantage of the peace and quiet and get some work done."

"You mean, see what Accelerator's up to?" Blake asked with a knowing smile on her face.

"I might check on him at some point." Weiss said offhandedly, avoiding eye contact. "Ruby was the one who told him there's extra scrap at the forge from people who just toss extra parts away when they finish their weapons."

"So wasteful." Ruby added, annoyed. "Though, I have scavenged some useful stuff from there."

"You should spend more time with your studies instead of designing weird attachments to your weapon." Weiss admonished. "I expect to see you in the library today."

"I'll let you know if she shows up." Blake offered and Ruby stared at her with her mouth open. Ruby couldn't believe Blake was betraying her like that. Weiss nodded and left.

"You do need to study." Blake told a depressed Ruby before leaving.

"MISAKA thinks learning is important too, MISAKA admits as MISAKA pats you reassuringly on the back. However, MISAKA suggests doing something fun during the day and study when night falls." Ruby looked up at Last Order in thought.

"Well… there was some new electric dust ammo that one store has I wanted to pick up." Ruby muttered. "It would be kind of nice to test it out. It's supposed to be good for stunning enemies."

"We should go! MISAKA says excitedly."

"We?" Ruby asked.

"MISAKA wants to look around Vale again, MISAKA explains as MISAKA can barely keep her excitement hidden."

"Cool! We can have fun and go on an adventure!"

"Adventure! MISAKA cheers." Last Order paused. "Can we bring Zwei? MISAKA asks uncertainly."

"Hmm." Sneaking Zwei out would be tough, but Ruby did have a large bag he would fit in. She also didn't like the fact he was cooped up in their room all the time. "Sure, let's get him. He would love Vale and he's trained well enough to not run off."

"Will Weiss be mad? MISAKA asks worriedly."

"Can't be mad if she doesn't know."

* * *

 _Yep, that's definitely the same boy. And why is Yang with him?_

Qrow looked out of the window of the room he had spent the night in a drunken stupor. He was lucky he checked outside and just happened to see his niece with her arm around Touma's shoulders. Knowing her, she was making some terrible pun. Her sense of humor was as bad as her dad's. After the conversation last night, Qrow was interested in what secrets that boy was hiding. Ozpin told him not to confront him yet, but Qrow didn't like to wait, unless he was supplied with ample amounts of alcohol. His curiosity got the better of him and he cracked open the window. He wasn't going to disobey Oz.

This was a pure reconnaissance mission.

A moment later, a crow started flying toward Vale.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter. All mistakes are SilverFang88's fault.**

 **SF88: Gotta say, I personally found this chapter pretty nice. Everyone got their two bits in, even if it's still in the slice-of-life part of the story. I've actually come to enjoy the process of Touma and Neo's adjustment to life at Beacon. Maybe that's just me though. On another note, does anyone else feel like a second squad of Delta Force has emerged between Jaune, Ren, and Touma?**

 **Oh, and before I forget, fuck you Dark.**

 **DB: Oh, think I'm only going to update shipping names every couple chapters down here. Someone pointed out it did get rather redundant.**


	24. Boys and Girls

**No, I'm not dead. None of my friends are dead. No one is dying. Sheesh, I don't update this story for a bit and everyone likes to ask me what's wrong or complains about update speed. I am not a professional writer and this is something I do for fun. When more important stuff goes on in my life, good, bad, ugly, necessary, I have to do it first. However, I have never stopped writing. Even if it's just a couple paragraphs a night, I keep as it. Habit is important to me. If I ever stop doing something for too long, I tend to not do it anymore. These stories are progressing and many of mine are reaching important parts, so I'm excited to reach them. On the other hand, I do appreciate the enjoyment the readers get reading my stories. I know the pain of a delayed release for manga, so I'm not completely unsympathetic to your plight. Thank you everyone for reading, giving ideas, and just commenting on stuff. Everything helps me improve.**

 **Neema Amiry: I'm still here.**

 **Kingofclubs8129: That is a good question. Maybe I should find someone to come up with that name. Some three-way names just come to you and those are usually the best. Blake will get a time to shine, it just takes the right moment. Blake's not the kind to prank like that. Well, unless someone really pushed her.**

 **Guest: Compared to the girls fro, RWBY, it's pretty lame. I should write more omakes for sure. Maybe at the end of this arc. But Neo's already nice and caring. Ren's smoothie wouldn't do anything to her. Heh.**

 **98kazer: He said it multiple times here.**

 **Bluejack222: Laziness is the mother of all bad habits. But, as a mother, we should respect her.**

 **Inacio: No reason for them to know about that.**

 **ParadoxVictor: Coco is the more teasing type, like Yang. For Accelerator and Coco to go out, there would have to be a lot of development. You caught me. Not doing that was aimed at you. Muhaha! There is one girl who will push him out of his comfort zone! It's time for red riding hood to knock over the big bad wolf. Well, it's a more one sided relationship. Weiss has that crush and Accelerator… is Accelerator. Delves a little deeper this chapter.**

 **Ahsoei: That really means a lot as a writer.**

 **dickythamrin077: Velvet's personality has a lot someone could develop if they focus on her.**

 **alex: A writer should continually try to get better.**

 **LL: Qrow and Touma meeting is something I have wanted to do for ages. It WILL happen. Someone who generates misfortune and someone who acts as a lightning rod for misfortune. I'm trying to decide if Cinder would try to flirt with him to get him on her side, or send Emerald to do it.**

 **Fernandamichelleraya: That's Yang's dream job. She believes she can get anyone she wants, but everyone else needs a push. I made a hint of a Ruby and Accelerator scene. Neo is obviously trying to be a hero now and will never be tempted to go back to being a criminal. Short clips of people behind the scenes are always entertaining. Not entirely sure what the female delta force is going to do here though.**

 **Dday: Hmm, that's an idea. Given enough time, he could probably do that.**

 **JumpingToaster: Stories have to have ups and downs or they get boring. I tend to like the slice of lice aspects, where people grow through good and bad experiences. Still, there has to be combat as RWBY and Index are both combat genres. RWBY was the youngest and hadn't gone through something insane like that before. Blake is fun to write in that regard. There is a balancing act between getting her to open, yet make it realistic. I can kind of see that.**

 **Guest: 1) What did you have in mind again? 2) Nah, this isn't a super ecchi story, so might gloss over some of it a bit. There should be hoodies, as Jaune has one.**

 **HydraLightning: Words have power. I don't know if Salem would have normal feelings like love. Maybe wanting desire.**

 **Guest: Yes.**

 **Salishious: Cinder's too smart for that. She knows he exists. Touma's hand would negate the brid transformation, so she would be back to normal. So, yes. With clothes.**

 **A certain guest: Neo and Accelerator vs CRDL. Glynda happens to have to leave the classroom for a moment during their spar. With all the shit Touma goes through, having scars is important. It also ups his coolness factor with combat students. I know Mr? does stuff like that. I was debating how that discussion would do down. Without a common enemy like the Grimm, humanity turns their weapons onto each other. I figured Touma would just say he didn't remember since he was a kid. Though, not sure he would ever tell them about a magic god. I wish there was a canon character that could read minds in RWBY. That would be perfect to cause some interesting conversations.**

 **Croniklerx: Heh, your comments are getting longer. Love is a complicated set of emotions that no one really understands. Even the strongest person can have trouble understanding their own feelings. Pyrrha and Nora are kind of similar in the reason they didn't want to confess. If Jaune or Ren didn't feel that way about them, would things have stayed the same? That is what they were afraid of. They couldn't stay the same. Index was young and, after having her memories reset, Touma's selflessness was the greatest moment that ever happened to her. Kuroko… I always felt her love was more admiration confused with love. Accelerator's vector manipulation doesn't rely on force. It simply changes the direction. It doesn't matter how much force Adam absorbed, it would just change direction. There is only one Semblance I feel would work on him, not counting magic power from Maidens.**

 **Yeah, Silverfang, my reviewer, commented on that too. At some point, those, listening at the door scenes, will result in what they think is happening is actually happening. Hmm… I know the perfect opportunity for that grope to happen. You know, I had this chapter planned out when I saw what you wrote. Now I want to add ice cream style underwear. Bromance, it's everywhere. I think Neo's animosity is more to Blake. Yang is just a casualty. Teacher's pet… Neo will yell lies to people to embarrass Touma.**

 **Xeno01: That's what I've been going for. It's hard and takes a lot of work, but the end result is worth it. I always found Accelerator easy to write.**

 **Phoenix 7.49: That was about to happen if things went on any longer. Qrow and Touma are best pair. Their interactions are going to be great.**

 **WiliamZ0: It's not an addiction, I can quit whenever I want to. I don't put credit cards into those games for that very reason I don't get tempted in a moment of weakness. Accelerator doesn't worry about the plight of lesser beings.**

 **Moongaze14: I don't want to get involved in that kind of stuff. That would require some backstory on how Japan and his hometown are the same.**

 **Jujudude: After you.**

 **Erohakase: Crossovers are terrible and should never be read for sure. I'm not a fan of Index and everyone writes Misaka the same, so things get repetitive.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: Lots of hair gel. Slick it back.**

 **G119: Those short scenes sure deliver a powerful impact. Guess it will never update again.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

"Nah, white doesn't suit him. Let's stay to darker colors for these."

"Maybe this?" Yang suggested to Coco, holding up an open long sleeve shirt. "Find an undershirt that complements it."

"Didn't you have me try a blue one already?" Touma asked exasperatedly. They had been here for ages and the girls hadn't settled on a single outfit.

"Are you blind?" Coco asked incredulously. "That's royal blue. The previous one was navy. Sheesh."

"Boys have no fashion sense at all," Yang added with a sigh. "Like Vomit Boy's preferred choice of clothes."

"I can hear you!" Jaune called to them. He was sitting on a bench watching a video on his scroll.

"You were supposed to!" Yang replied with a smirk.

"You better keep that ass on that chair," Coco warned. "Or you can bet that candy ass of yours I'll give you the same treatment. Your fashion sense is atrocious. Why didn't your sisters teach you anything?"

"I'll be good."

Touma felt sorry for Jaune. He was just there to keep him company as Yang or Coco tortur… decided on clothes that would fit Neo's specifications. She would have been here if she could. Speaking of that girl, Touma frowned slightly at what she was doing. It wasn't like she was that interested in school work and her combat experience dwarfed the others. As long as no one bothered her too much, nothing should happen.

 _Being in a positive environment is way better than traveling with the White Fang._ Touma thought to himself. _I wish Roman would see there was another way. He's a lot more reasonable, so maybe I can talk him out of it. Neo's so carefree. She probably followed me on a whim._

He glanced at a clock and his mouth fell open.

Two hours.

They had been at this store for two hours and they didn't settle on anything.

"How much longer are we going to be?" Touma asked hesitantly. "I still have to run an errand for Neo."

"This is _my_ errand for her." Coco reminded him. "She paid good money for my services and I will never leave a customer looking horrendous." She glanced back at him. "Or the person she is trying to fix." She added as an afterthought.

"How could a pair of shoes be worth that much?" Touma muttered and the girls froze.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jaune's face turn ashen.

He had made a mistake.

You never question a girl and her shoes.

"Looks like we have to educate the ignorant." Coco said slowly to Yang, and then reached down to pick up a box she had purchased already.

"I had to have this talk with Ruby recently," Yang added and cracked her knuckles. "I think I can go through it again."

Touma's danger sense went off and he began to back up slowly. Jaune gave him the most sympathetic look he could. After all, this was a conversation he too had gone through once before.

Only it was seven girls instead of two.

"Aww," Coco mused. "He's going to try to run."

"There's no escape," Yang added. "Your _sole_ is ours, even if you _dye_."

"Such misfortune."

* * *

"Watch it!" Weiss warned. "There's too much power running through that-"

"I know. Shut it!"

Bright sparks of electricity exploded out from the device Accelerator was working on. Only Weiss flinched slightly at this as the acidic smell of burning wires filled the area. Accelerator flicked the burnt area away, his powers preventing him from receiving any damage and rummaged in a box on the ground next to him. The forge had an unusually large amount of scrapped parts from years of Hunters and Huntresses leaving stuff behind. The majority of them preferred the newest technology as it became available. This was both good and bad. Good that he didn't have to go out into Vale and find stuff, but bad that the electronics available were obsolete compared to Academy City's standards.

"I understand you want to maximize output, but they're better ways to determine it than just guessing." Weiss continued. "You are just wasting parts this way."

"If I was just directing the output, you would be right." Accelerator corrected her. "I was also examining the difference between electricity generated from Dust and electricity I'm used to. Good thing those books were accurate. I should be able to make real progress now."

"If you need to verify something, ask me." Weiss huffed. "I've been studying Dust since I was young. My family has been mining it for generations."

"Whatever." Truth be told, he did appreciate her knowledge of the substance. There was a limit on what he could learn from books in just a few days. Yet having someone volunteer to work with him without some ulterior motive was something he wouldn't believe. _I bet she wants to take my invention and sell it for profit. Doesn't matter, I guess. When we leave, we won't see it ever again._ The two of them worked most of the day with only a short lunch break.

Accelerator found himself actually somewhat enjoying this.

He was too used to people back in Academy City saying his power could only destroy. He had proven them wrong before, but only in very rare circumstances. Now, he was actually creating something. This device, if he actually got it to work, would protect people. His reason for developing this wasn't entirely selfless. It was to protect Last Order since he had no idea how long they would be stuck here. If others used it, well, that was just a bonus. What was even more pleasing to him, proving the scientist wrong again, was his power came in very useful here. His automatic reflection saved several delicate electronic pieces when they were making very slight adjustments. Normally, machines would have been used instead of their hands for the delicate work.

Another big reason, one the exact opposite of what he expected, was that Weiss's company was actually somewhat enjoyable.

He had expected her to be an annoyance that he would have to tolerate in order to use her knowledge of Dust. Sometimes she was. She kept asking questions about himself and Last Order; most of which he ignored or gave very vague and curt answers to. His affairs were private and there was no reason for her to know about Last Order's origin. There were some questions he answered, like what the technology in his city was like and what resources they used instead of Dust. Oil was something Weiss questioned a lot about. He didn't mind talking to her about those kinds of things. Personal information was just something he held a lot closer to the chest and didn't like sharing. Unlike him, Weiss was open about her past and her team's shenanigans. He actually couldn't hold back a smirk at their initiation.

 _Ozpin's an ass._

At long last, around four in the afternoon, he stepped away and looked down at the finished prototype. It didn't look like much to the untrained eye. It was a simple metallic devise with a rectangular design and a clear glass over the top that could be removed. Inside of it was a small yellow Lightning Dust crystal at the center. There were small strips of leather so it could be wrapped around someone's wrist. It was about the size of a Scroll, though much thicker to allow the placement of small Dust crystals. Accelerator examined it and flipped the switch on the side. The crystal began to glow slightly, but nothing else happened.

"Feel anything?" Weiss asked in anticipation.

"No," Accelerator replied and wrapped the strap around his wrist. "There's only one way to know for sure." He tossed a piece of metal to her. "Throw this at me and see."

"Wouldn't your reflection just prevent it from reaching you?" Weiss replied as she twirled the metal between her fingers. It was only about six inches in length. It wouldn't kill anyone unless a lot of force was put behind it, but it would still hurt.

"I can turn it off," Accelerator snapped impatiently. "Just do it. I can't test it on myself."

"Right." Weiss hesitated for a moment and then threw it at his shoulder. Unlike someone like Blake, who would have thrown it like a dagger, she threw it in a rotating motion. The metal scrap flew through the air and made direct contact with Accelerator's shoulder.

Or it would have, if a yellow spark didn't intercept it and stop it.

"It worked…"

Weiss trailed off in shock as the metal clanged loudly on the ground in front of Accelerator. This wasn't caused by his reflection ability. Instead of ricocheting, the object was simply stopped by an invisible wall covering Accelerator.

"I thought your plans looked solid… but to get this far… in a single day… This is amazing!" She shouted the last line and clapped her hands together. "You might have revolutionized the defense gear of Vale's, no… the entire world's military!"

"Save it until I'm done, Snow Angel." Accelerator purposely chose that nickname to sober her right up. "I need to make sure it covers my entire body. This energy derived from Dust is incredibly useful and versatile. I only modified a design I saw, but it really looks like this shit flows around the human body."

"There is still a lot we don't know about Dust," Weiss reminded him and picked up the metal rod from the ground. "So… You want me to just periodically strike you?"

"Yes. Especially the back, arms, legs, and head."

"You know it's going to hurt pretty badly if you're not covered."

"I'll deal with it. Hurry up."

"Okay." Weiss moved behind him and gave a quick firm strike into the middle of Accelerator's back, only to meet the same wall. "Back, check." She repeated the process. "Left leg, check. Right leg, check. Left arm, check. Right arm, check." She raised the rod into the air and then stopped. "You sure about this?"

"Don't make me repeat myself."

Weiss took a deep breath at his words and brought her arm down.

She needn't have worried. The barrier around his head was just as strong as the rest.

"Looks like you're fully covered," Weiss confirmed and threw the metal rod into the box of other debris. "There's still work to be done and tests to perform. How much power can it block? How long will it last?"

"You tell me." Accelerator ordered and released the strap. He tossed it to her and she looked down at the dust crystal.

"It used over half its power with just that!?" Weiss gasped incredulously. "It barely took any force. This would mean there's an issue with energy conservation. The energy from the barrier must be dispersing around your body, rather than making a circuit. This would be only a temporary shield at best."

"While the shield conforms to the body," Accelerator muttered. "Too much energy is lost to make it viable. I guess that's a decent start."

"Decent?!" Weiss stared at him for a moment. "Once we work out that bug, every soldier in Remnant would be fit with body armor equipped with a portable shield generator. Ground and air vehicles would all have them to allow access through Grimm infested lands. One of the biggest issues we face is Grimm tearing through the metal when assaulting our forces. Repairs are extremely difficult to do when away from a major city. With this, we could block the Grimm from even reaching the vehicles. The only current Dust barriers are stationary like what we used in our arena."

"Seems like you thought about this a lot." Accelerator remarked and kicked a box under a table.

"The SDC does work hand in hand with Atlas military." Weiss reminded him. "Though, Vale and Atlas work side by side, so this technology would probably be a joint operation… if you decide to give it up." She added the last part quickly when she saw his head turn slightly to glare at her out of the corner of his eye. "I mean… is there a reason not to?"

"…I suppose not," Accelerator answered after a long pause. "As long as the brat gets one, I don't care. This world is too fucking dangerous for her without some kind of protection."

"You really care about her," Weiss pointed out, as the two of them started to clean up the mess they made and put away their designs. Beacon would come down on them if they left the forge a mess. "Though you try to hide it behind calling her a brat." Her comment met only the sound of a clicking tongue. "I've been wondering for ages. How did you two meet?"

"That's not really your business." Accelerator snapped, a little more harshly than he intended.

Weiss's lips pursed for a moment and she took a deep breath before continuing.

"I've wanted to ask you this, but we were always surrounded by other people. Last Order had been adamant about not telling us, though she let a few pieces of information slip." Accelerator froze facing away from her and she knew this was an important moment. It would either end with her questions answered or in collateral damage. "The reason she is in Academy City and lives with you is because of something that happened between you two. There is no way you two are related."

"You're treading into dangerous waters." Accelerator warned darkly.

"She's devoted to you," Weiss added. "So whatever happened must have been something important. Did you save her life and then take her in?" A dark laugh escaped Accelerator's throat at her guess. Weiss frowned at that. "Then what happened?"

"Why do you want to know?"

Accelerator had actually turned around to face her directly. His face was dark, which made his red eyes seem a little more pronounced, almost beastlike.

"Because I want to know about you." Weiss explained.

"Why?" He leaned forward and there was no trace of amusement on his face.

"Because…" There was a definite pause in her reply. "You've been the most reserved in talking to us. Last Order and Touma have been rather open about themselves. And… I've been interested in knowing about you. I know you're smart, but this..." She gestured to the shield generator they developed. "…is amazing. Yet I know nothing about you personally, except you like coffee. No hobbies, interest, anything."

"Best to keep it that way." Accelerator turned back away from her.

Weiss's face grew red and her eyes narrowed.

"Why won't you talk to me?!" She demanded and grabbed his shoulder. In an instant, she found her hand thrown off by an invisible force. It wasn't strong enough to cause damage to her through Aura, but the message was clear. Accelerator glanced back at her again with annoyance etched on his face. "I understand Yang. She annoys me too and Ruby can't hold a secret to save her life. She would blurt it out eventually. After the time we spent together, I thought you would open up a little at least. I didn't expect your life story, but something would have been nice."

Accelerator remained quiet.

"And then Last Order let's some things slip and makes it sound like there was some big conspiracy around you and her." Weiss continued to berate him. "I didn't want to push her because of her age, but I can't ignore something that would threaten her if she's in trouble. I was relieved to know how strong you were and how much you cared for her." She gave a curt smile. "After getting to know you, I was kind of impressed at how direct you were to people and gave your honest opinion. I grew up in an environment that forced everyone to hide their true feelings and intentions. You are lot like Ruby and Yang in that regard. It's refreshing… Don't tell them I said that or they will keep badgering me about their life stories."

She took a deep breath.

"The point I'm getting at is I like you...as a person." Admitted Weiss, adding the last part in quickly. "So what's wrong with trying to get to know you better?"

"You have shit taste." Accelerator snapped in frustration.

"Argh! You're so insufferable!"

"Glad we had this talk."

"Why won't you let anyone get close to you?" Weiss asked. "Why not just say you don't like me or something? Instead, you brush it all off for-..."

She reached out to grab his shoulder and her words were cut off by surprise when he grabbed her wrist instead.

"You really wanna know?" Accelerator asked with a growl. For a moment, Weiss thought about backing away. Her eyes met his red ones and she saw a weird combination of irritation and… guilt? Wanting to know more, she forced herself to nod. "Fine. First, I'm not interested in a relationship. You and that stupid hero have some weird ideas about this. Once Ozpin finds a way to get us home, we are leaving. You won't see us again and it will be best if you just forgot it. The brat's getting too attached and I warned her about it already."

"That's not a good enough reason." Weiss protested. "Besides, there's a chance you might not be able to return. Wouldn't it be better to have friends here you can-"

"Second," Accelerator interrupted. "And I'm only going to say this once so listen closely." He lowered his face until it was only a few inches from Weiss's. She bit the corner of her lip in anticipation. "I don't deserve something like a half-assed relationship after the shit I've done."

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked with a whisper. "A lot of people have done terrible things in their past. It's not who they are now. I… had to learn that the hard way and it almost cost me a friend."

"I'm a murderer." Accelerator clarified coldly. His voice merely a whisper, though full of guilt, frustration, and a hint of depression. "I killed over ten thousand people."

Weiss's eyes flew open and she stepped back.

"W-wha-…" She gasped. "That's not true. There's a reasonable explanation for that. Right?"

Accelerator gave her a cold smile that never reached his eyes.

"I killed them for power," he replied. "Nothing more, nothing less." He turned and started walking away. "The damn hero interfered before I finished. I have done terrible shit; more than I can atone for in a single lifetime. So _that's_ why I'm not interested. _That's_ why I push people away. The brat's entire situation is because of _me!_ "

He stormed out of the forge leaving the stunned Weiss behind.

* * *

After several destroyed buildings, scorched marks, crying, and near death experiences, Touma found himself with a couple outfits that passed Yang and Coco's muster.

That might have been a slight overstatement though.

None of the buildings were destroyed.

The near death experience was because some random guy thought it would be a good idea to try to peek on Yang. That girl did not take it lightly and the guy learned his lesson in a rather painful way. Funny enough, Touma was the one who spotted him and tackled him before he could see everything. As luck would have it, Yang stepped out and sent them both flying before finding out the truth. As an apology, she volunteered to pay for dinner for him and Jaune.

"Was it really okay to let Velvet and Coco take everything back with them?" Touma asked.

"It's fine," Yang reassured him. "She will want to show off her boots to Neo and Neo will no doubt want to see the clothes Coco picked out." She snickered in amusement. "Be prepared to model them for her."

She couldn't help laughing when Touma's head fell down and hit the table with a bang.

"Looks like you're warming up to Neo," Jaune whispered to Yang, which sobered her up at once.

"I still don't like her," Yang muttered. "But I can at least take a moment to laugh if something is funny."

"We still need to pick up her ice cream." Touma added with a grown and sat back up. "I have the address and my scroll said it was pretty close. Depending on how much she has stocked, we might need a cab. Seriously, how much ice cream can a tiny girl eat?"

"I'm telling her you called her fat." Yang teased and Touma's eye widened in horror.

"No, please, I'll die!"

"That's crossing the line." Jaune added. "I've seen what happens when a guy accidentally implied that to one of my sisters." He shivered. "I slept outside that night."

"Relax, I'm just joking." Yang reassured them and pushed her chair back from the table. "Daylight's wasting boys; let's get going." The three of them left the restaurant and made their way through Vale, when Yang couldn't resist more teasing. "So, Touma, I saw you checking out Velvet. Got a thing for bunnies?"

Touma began spluttering something incoherently while she laughed.

"Good taste, man." Jaune said and smacked Touma on the back. "She's pretty cute, smart, and friendly; a little shy though."

"I wasn't looking," Touma denied. "She's just the only one who seemed to be on my side against you and Coco." He pointed to Yang, who grinned in response.

"Man up," She replied. "Being able to look good while kicking butt is important. Besides Vomit Boy here and his god awful fashion sense, seriously… Seven sisters and you had that onesie? How!?"

"They gave it to me as a gift," Muttered Jaune. "And besides, it's pretty comfortable and warm."

"And Coco plans to convince his team to burn it." Yang added to Touma.

"What?!" Jaune exclaimed.

"Now back to the main topic at hand," Yang continued. "So you like Velvet, huh?"

"I never said that," Touma denied quickly. "Besides, I think she likes someone else."

Only Yang noticed his eyes dart toward Jaune. Jaune had glanced over at a sign they had passed.

 _He's actually perceptive?_ Yang thought to herself surprised. _Then why doesn't he notice Ruby and Blake fawning over him? Okay, to be fair, Blake hides it pretty well, but Ruby is so obvious._ The reason the two of them knew Velvet had a thing for Jaune was during the shopping trip, she went out of her way to talk with him and sit with him every chance she got. Short of just coming right out and confessing, it couldn't have been any more obvious. _Touma does seem rather reserved. Maybe those two aren't his type or something. Haven't heard him mention what his type is._ Her eyes widened. _Could it be he doesn't know they like him? Crap, please tell me he's not that dense._

"Think so?" Jaune asked Touma. "Well, hope whoever she likes is nice to her. There are people like Cardin who bully her because she's a Faunus."

"Yeah," Touma muttered with his hands behind his head. "I got a pretty good gist of that."

"I'm sure if Velvet liked someone," Yang commented. "Coco would be the first to know and do whatever she could to set them up."

"Probably push them into a closet together or something." Jaune added with a laugh.

"A classic." Yang agreed.

"Is she always so… forceful?" Touma asked, remembering Coco's threats when he wasn't changing fast enough. The forty-five minute conversation about shoes still buzzed around in his head. He grew slightly dizzy remembering that.

"Pretty much."

"Don't get on her bad side," Jaune warned. "She's at the top of the second years."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Touma said dryly as they turned a corner. "Okay, it's right up ahead. Dang it, Neo! You didn't tell it would be this place." He rubbed his face for a moment. "I hope those two aren't here…"

He trailed off, which caused Jaune and Yang to examine the building they were approaching.

Junior's.

That was all the sign said, but even Jaune could tell it was a club.

Yang's eyes widened in surprise.

 _Well,_ she thought. _This couldn't get messy._

"You sure this is the place?" Jaune asked. "I mean, isn't… wasn't Neo a wanted criminal? How could she just waltz into a nightclub?"

"Junior's an information broker," Touma explained. "I guess he doesn't break the law or tow the line I suppose. But he overlooks people's… pasts. The actual club didn't seem that bad, though I was only there for a short time."

"No point in standing out here discussing it," Yang exclaimed in a more confident voice than she let on. "Let's go, ladies." They walked up toward the front door and only Yang noticed one of the bouncers in the typical black suit, hat, red tie, and red sunglasses reach for his side while the other hand pressed up against his ear. "Funny enough, Junior's an old friend too."

 _This is going to be fun._

To Touma's and Jaune's shock, she walked up to the front door and kicked it open with a loud bang.

"Guess who's back!?" Yang called out.

Their entrance was met with blaring music and twenty plus men in suits pointing guns at them.

"Yang?" Jaune asked fearfully. "What does the term _friend_ mean to you?"

"Hold it!" A strong voice yelled out and a large man began pushing through the throng of armed guards. "No one shoot. We don't need a repeat of last time." Junior finally got to the front and glared at Yang with a look of exasperation. "Blondie, why are you here?"

"You still owe me a drink." Yang declared and poked him in the chest. "Oh, and a friend of mine is here on official business."

She jabbed her thumb over her shoulder. Junior glanced past her to see Touma giving him a small wave.

"The kid's with you?" Junior face palmed. "Well, today's just full of surprises." He glanced up at the rest of his men. "Okay you idiots! Get back to work!" They all scattered at his order and he sighed. "I just got this place fixed up after your last visit, Blondie. Don't need another shoot-out."

"Glad you understand." Yang said with a smirk and walked past him toward the bar. "Strawberry Sunrise, no ice. And don't forget that little umbrella." Junior scowled at her but nodded toward the guy behind the bar, who quickly started getting to work.

"Jeeze, kid," Junior muttered to Touma. "First you get involved with Roman and then the Huntress who wrecked my bar. Who you going to bring in here next?"

"Yang was the one who blew up your bar?" Touma asked bewildered.

"Told you one did," Junior growled. "Was a lot of work fixing this place up." He glanced over at Jaune. "Who's he?"

"I'm no one," Jaune said quickly. "Just pretend I'm not here."

"He's Lord of the Vale." Touma joked. He couldn't help it.

"Fuuunny." Junior motioned them to follow him to the other side of the bar opposite of Yang. "So, what brings you back here? After the crap I heard Roman do… Shit. I knew he's been dealing with something over his head, but I never considered he would bring Grimm into the city."

"So he is working for someone else." Touma muttered. Junior suddenly looked alarmed.

"Keep it down!" He hissed. "You could get us all in a lot of trouble."

"Ah, sorry!" Touma apologized. "Anyway, I hate to barge in unexpectedly, but Neo kind of forced me to pick up the ice cream she kept here."

"Heh." Junior chuckled to himself. "Yeah, she makes me order a special brand from Minstrel. It's in the back locked up in a freezer. Had to lock it because some poor SOB grabbed a container. Everyone learned not to touch her stuff."

"I could see that." Touma muttered dryly.

"Did that bastard at least pass on the information of your friends?" Junior asked. "I take pride in making sure my information is reliable."

"He did," Touma confirmed and rubbed the back of his head. "I met up with them after that incident."

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about who Torchwick was working for?" Jaune asked in an undertone.

"Nope and if I did, I wouldn't be telling you." He waved over one of his goons and tossed him a key. "Pack up Neo's trove. And careful with it! God only knows what will happen to you if you don't." The man noticeably paled and rushed off. "Okay, I'm off to make sure Blondie over there doesn't destroy my bar again while he gets Neo's stuff."

"This club looks pretty nice," Jaune said once Junior left. "Like back home, but a lot more lights and different music."

He was referring to the techno style music blaring in the background.

"We won't have them back in Academy City." Touma replied. "Most of the students are under eighteen, so you don't see many except at an occasional party that gets out of hand."

"Sounds boring," Jaune laughed. "Though, I can imagine once this place fills up at night, it's not nearly as inviting."

"I don't know about that," A female voice said from behind them. "We can be _quite_ inviting."

"And look, Mel," A second similar voice stated. "His friend's tall, blonde, and scraggly."

* * *

"So many different Dust weapons, MISAKA says in awe as MISAKA finally takes a seat."

"I wanted to try out new rounds with Crescent Rose." Ruby said happily, holding up a large bag. "Those Grimm won't know what him them!"

"Do you think MISAKA can try out Crescent Rose? MISAKA asks innocently as MISAKA looks up pleadingly."

"Crescent Rose is calibrated for my specs," Ruby explained with an ulterior motive. Her weapon was precious to her and she really didn't want anyone else using it. Of course, they could admire it and touch it with her permission, but she didn't even let her uncle or her dad use it. "If you tried, it might end up with you missing a foot." Last Order nodded in understanding, although her eyes clearly showed her disappointment. _She's good, even I'm feeling bad._ "Hmm, I suppose we could develop you something to practice with. When my uncle taught me, I could only use a normal scythe and there were a lot of… accidents." She would never tell anyone about the first time she used one. "We won't tell Accelerator though."

"Of course, MISAKA agrees quickly as MISAKA nods excitedly. After MISAKA becomes proficient, MISAKA can show off her skills."

"Show him you're not a kid anymore," Ruby encouraged and then sighed. "Yang still treats me like a kid. It's like she doesn't even trust me around boys my age."

"Are you talking about the Savior or big brother Jaune? MISAKA asks as MISAKA attempts to clarify." She still never got rid of the habit of calling Jaune that, much to Accelerator's irritation. Part of her found it funny how much it bothered him.

"W-what?" Ruby spluttered.

"Do you not like them? MISAKA asks."

"Jaune's my first and best male friend at Beacon." Ruby explained at a breakneck pace. "And he was just as awkward as me when we started and I can talk to him about anything. He won't tease me or make horrible puns like Yang does. He also considers his friends really important. So I don't want anything to change. Touma… he's the kind of hero I want to be. Cool, strong, willing to dive into danger, yet doesn't act arrogant at all. He's pretty easy going like my uncle. It's like he doesn't consider helping people to be anything special."

"The Savior doesn't care about fame, MISAKA explains. MISAKA's sister was in trouble and he didn't know her at all. But he risked his like to save her. MISAKA believes he only helps because someone had to and he was the only one who could."

"He's so cool like that," Ruby muttered and covered her head with her hood. "A true hero."

Last order laughed.

"He doesn't consider himself one, MISAKA points out."

"Well, he should!" huffed Ruby. "Even Accelerator calls him a hero. Sure, he doesn't like calling people names, but he calls _me_ by my name sometimes. I think it's kind of endearing, regardless how he tries to act uncaring."

"MISAKA's younger sister calls him a tsundere."

"Tsundere?"

"He acts tough to hide his feelings, MISAKA clarifies."

"Ah, that makes sense. Still, Accelerator doesn't treat me like a child and, even with him being all grumpy, he's still willing to go and help." Last Order nodded with a huge grin on her face. "He just needs to have fun. Hmm..." She rubbed her chin. "We could trick him into joining us somewhere and force him to have fun."

"Like…? MISAKA asks as her eyes widen in interest."

"What about-…?"

"FRIEND RUBY?!"

A girl interrupted their talk and they turned to see a girl with short, rather curly orange hair with a small ahoge on top, similar to Last Order's. She had bright green eyes, light skin and freckles. Her outfit consisted of a whitish-gray old-fashioned blouse with short gray feminine overalls, as well as a black and green collar with a matching pair of stockings. Curiosity filled her expression as she tilted her head to gaze under Ruby's hood. When Ruby looked up, she clapped her hands together.

"Penny?!" Ruby asked in surprised and bounced to her feet. "It's been ages!"

"I have been looking forward to our next encounter too! Sorry, I didn't call out to you earlier. I wasn't sure it was you with your face covered. What was that about? Are you in trouble?"

"No, no, no," Ruby reassured her. "I'm doing great. How about you?"

"General Ironwood finally gave me some time off," Penny explained. "And I wanted to examine more human interactions." Her gaze fell onto Last Order, who was staring at her with her head tilted slightly. "Is she a friend of yours?"

"Ah!" Ruby jumped and turned to put a hand on Last Order's back. "This is Last Order and she is definitely a friend. Due to certain circumstances, she, her guardian, and their friend are staying at Beacon."

"Hello! MISAKA greets enthusiastically. If you are Ruby's friend, can we be friends too?"

Penny stared at Last Order for a moment and then a huge smile stretched across her face.

"Sensational! I would love to be your friend, Last Order!" Penny exclaimed way more excitedly than what was needed. "My name is Penny Polendina and it is a pleasure to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too! MISAKA replied as MISAKA mimics her friend's choice of words."

"So what were you two doing?" Penny asked, looking between the two.

"We just finished shopping." Ruby answered and held up the bag. "Got some new Dust rounds I can't wait to try out. Might even use them for the tournament." She grinned at Penny. "Just because we are friends, don't expect me to go easy on you if our teams meet."

"I look forward to our match in the Vytal Festival." Penny replied. "It is sure to be so much fun and an emotional bonding experience." Suddenly, she leaned forward. "Are you okay, Ruby? Your face was a little red. I hope you aren't catching a fever." She put a hand on Ruby's head. "Your temperature does seem a little high."

"I'm fine!" Ruby pushed Penny's hand off of her. "We were just talking about…"

Her voice trailed off and her face grew red again.

"Boys, MISAKA supplies."

Ruby's mouth fell open at Last Order. This actually wasn't a malicious attack by the little girl. She was just answering Penny's question honestly. It was one of the moments that reminded Ruby how young Last Order really was. Sometimes she seemed to know a lot more than a ten year old should, other times she was completely oblivious to normal social interactions. Kind of like Penny, though she had her own reasons. It was a secret Ruby promised she wouldn't tell anyone and to this day, she had not. Speaking of Penny, Ruby noticed there was a gleam in her eyes and the next moment Penny grabbed Ruby's hand with both of hers.

"Really?!" She asked excitedly. "May I join? I always wanted to have a girl talk with friends. Are the boys cute!? Do you like them!? What are they like?!"

"One at a time!" Ruby responded. "And let's find somewhere else to talk instead of out here!" She was aware of several passersby looking at them with interest.

"Of course, sorry about that." Penny apologized, but didn't let go of Ruby. "I was just so excited to do normal teenage things I forgot somethings should be kept secret between us girls."

Her smile was so sincere, Ruby couldn't even come up with an excuse to not tell her about the others.

 _Why can't I tell her no?_ Ruby thought with a combination of exasperation and amusement.

Penny looked around and dragged Ruby away. She only had a moment to grab her bag before Penny's superhuman strength took hold. Ruby noticed Last Order bounded after them and grabbed onto Penny's other hand. Penny didn't seem to mind. On the contrary, her smile grew wider. Ruby was too busy stay on her feet to notice Last Order's reaction.

A small frown appeared on the girl's face and her ahoge flickered toward Penny.

A few minutes later, they found a secluded spot on a bench under a tree. It was in an open enough area that if anyone approached them they would be noticed. Penny was really excited to spend time with her friends and Ruby was apprehensive on what the conversation would entail about Jaune, Touma, and Accelerator. Last Order was uncharacteristically silent.

"Where should we start?" Penny said eagerly. "How about you start off by telling me about the boys?"

"Well," Ruby started off hesitantly. "There's three of them, but first, let me be clear. There is nothing between me and them except them being my friends."

"Okay," Penny nodded in acknowledgement.

There was no trace of any doubt on her face. Ruby opened her mouth to continue, but someone else had other plans.

"MISAKA would like to ask a question first, MISAKA interrupts quickly." Penny and Ruby turned toward her.

"Yes?" Penny asked politely.

"Are you a robot? MISAKA asks as MISAKA digs her foot into the ground nervously."

"A r-robot!?" Penny repeated in stunned disbelief. "I'm a perfectly normal… _hic…_ girl!" She hiccupped in the middle of her sentence.

 _Oh no!_ Ruby thought in alarm. This was the secret she had been keeping for Penny. Penny had stopped a truck and her fake skin had been torn away to reveal her metallic body. She had been terrified Ruby would stop being her friend when she found out.

"Last Order!" She invented wildly up on the spot. "You can't just go asking people if they are a robot!"

"I'm definitely… _hic_ … a normal girl," Penny said again. She hiccupped again.

"But MISAKA's body gives off a weak magnetic field, MISAKA explains. When we held hands, MISAKA could detect an underlying metallic structure beneath the artificial skin. MISAKA thought it might have been an artificial arm due to some kind of accident, MISAKA admits and it is why MISAKA was nervous. It might have been rude, MISAKA finishes as MISAKA diverts her eyes afraid she upset her new friend."

Penny and Ruby exchanged looks.

"Should we?" Ruby whispered.

"I am supposed to be an Atlas secret." Penny admitted. "But she already discovered my secret and it would be better for her to know the truth or she might let something slip to others."

Penny looked really nervous and Ruby knew what was on her mind.

"Don't worry," She reassured her friend. "Last Order isn't capable of prejudice."

Penny nodded and turned toward Last Order.

"Most girls are born, but I was made in Atlas." Penny admitted softly. "I'm the first synthetic entity to be capable of generating an Aura. Yes, I am an android and it's a national secret. My father encourages going out occasionally in order to learn social interactions and that's how Ruby discovered my secret by accident. Does… does that make you hate me?"

"Why would MISAKA hate you? MISAKA asks as MISAKA tilts her head in confusion."

Penny's eyes widened and Ruby felt a smile form on her face.

 _Knew it._

"Don't you think I'm a freak?" Penny pushed. "I'm not a human or Faunus, I'm not even alive."

"But isn't Aura supposed to come from your soul or something? MISAKA asks as MISAKA recalls Weiss's lectures. Having a soul means you are alive, right?"

Penny blinked in surprise.

"MISAKA won't stop being your friend over something silly like that, MISAKA adds. Having an android friend is awesome! MISAKA wishes she could tell her other friends, but will keep your secret."

Penny's eyes began to water and she suddenly scooped Last Order up in a hug.

"I'm so happy to have a friend like you!" Penny cried out, hugging the smaller girl tightly.

"Can't…breath! MISAKA is dying!"

"She doesn't have Aura, Penny!" Ruby cried out and Penny let go of Last Order before she asphyxiated.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Penny apologized over and over. "I was so overexcited."

"MISAKA forgives you, MISAKA reassures her new friend as MISAKA catches her breath."

"Bark!"

The three girls turned toward Ruby's backpack.

"Zwei!" Ruby cried out. "I almost forgot about you."

She had put him in her backpack while they were in the store. He started licking her face excitedly when she pulled him out.

"Aww!" Penny cooed. "Is this canine also your friend, Ruby?"

"He's family!" Ruby explained proudly and held out Zwei toward Penny. "And super friendly!" Penny leaned forward and Zwei started to lick her face.

"Ah!" Penny said in surprise. "His tongue is so wet!"

"Looks like you made another friend! MISAKA states proudly."

"See," Ruby said happily and patted Penny on the back. "It's easy to make friends."

"Do you think I can have a friend who is also a boy?" Penny asked, her eyes sparkling. "Perhaps one of those three we were about to talk about during our girl talk?!"

"Crap." Ruby muttered.

She had completely forgotten about that.

* * *

"Your employee makes a pretty good Strawberry Sunrise." Yang commented when Junior sat down.

"You're lucky to be here," He grumbled back. "If you weren't with that kid, I would have kicked you out."

"Aww, you love me." Yang teased. "Touma mentioned he came here with Torchwick, right? Don't even try to get out of telling me. Neo sending us here is all the proof we need."

"Yeah, he stops by occasionally." Junior grunted. "I keep him up to date of the happenings around here. Once he started going public with his Dust robberies, he's about as welcome here as you are. If it wasn't for his Lien… Neo on the other hand, you don't tell her no."

"I found that out," Yang agreed and rubbed her cheek. "Midget's vicious."

"Don't let her hear you say that." Junior said dryly. "Last thing you want is a knife in your back. Speaking of Neo, how are you all in contact with her anyway? She and Roman disappeared after the breach."

"She's… around," Yang replied, not wanting to reveal anything. "Can anyone really catch her?"

"No, I suppose not." Junior grew quiet for a moment and then glanced over. "You know that woman you were looking-…"

Yang did a spit take, covering the bar top with her drink, turned and grabbed Junior's collar.

"You saw her?!" She demanded. "Where!"

The sound of guns being drawn didn't deter her. Junior waved them down and Yang finally let go of her.

"Only a rumor," Junior told her gruffly. "And you still have to pay."

"But I'm with him!" Yang protested, pointing in Touma's and Jaune's direction without looking over.

"And that got you in the door without bullet holes."

"Fine." Yang pulled out all the Lien on her and passed it over. "That enough?"

"No, but it'll do." He pocketed the money. "One of my men was delivering some goods to an associate near the Grimm Wilds. He saw a woman similar to the picture you showed me, though she had a mask similar to the White Fang. She disappeared after entering a bar and he never saw her leave."

"Sounds like her." Yang muttered. "Damn it, rushing over there won't get me anywhere."

"I can only deal with information I have." Junior huffed and then he turned around. "Looks like your order is here so you can scram. The other two are welcome anytime."

"You let in a couple guys and not a hot bombshell like me?" Yang asked with a pout.

"I saw what kind of _bomb_ shell you are-…"

"Good one!"

"…but I doubt the twins will be happy if those two don't come back."

"What?" Yang asked and looked in the direction Junior was looking now.

Her jaw dropped.

Touma and Jaune were besieged by the Malachite twins. The one dressed in white was leaning up against the bar on Jaune's side, while the one in red was leaning up against Touma. Both of the boys' were embarrassed, evident by their reddening faces. Yang sighed, kicked her seat back, and stood up. Brushing back her long hair, she marched forward.

"Okay, Lady Killers," She declared. "Let's go. We got what we came for."

"Maybe they don't want to go?" The twin in white, Melanie, said with a sniff. "The night's still young and we haven't even opened for normal hours yet."

"You should stay and dance with us." The red twin, Miltia, said, wrapped her arms around Touma's arm. "Just ignore her."

"Jealousy isn't pretty," Melanie added. "You'll get wrinkles."

A vein twitched in Yang's forehead.

"We really can't stay," Jaune tried to say and Melanie imitated her sister's action.

"Come on," She cooed. "Not even for one dance?" She ran her hand down the side of his face. "I don't get to dance with a cute, scraggly boy very often. It's always older people."

"That's… that's good right?" Jaune asked uncertainly and she giggled.

"If you don't like the noise," Miltia whispered to Touma. "We can go to the VIP section upstairs." She leaned into his ear. "We can even let you drink. It will help you loosen up and then we can have some fun."

"Er… some other time, maybe." Touma replied. "Sounds fun, but we really got to be getting back."

"Is someone more important than us?" Militia asked with a pout.

"Neo." Yang answered and that single word caused the girls to freeze.

"What's she got to do with this?" Melanie asked.

"We're picking that stock up for her." Yang replied with a savage grin and pointed to the packed up ice cream. "What do you think she's going to do if we don't get back?"

The girls' faces paled for a moment and then they sported the same smirk.

"Well," Miltia began. "We would hate to leave the shrimp waiting." She pulled out a piece of paper from her dress and stuck it in Touma's pants pocket. "My number. Don't be a stranger."

"Same here." Melanie imitated her sister's action with Jaune. "And just to make sure you don't forget us, here's a little token to remember this night."

She leaned forward and kissed Jaune's cheek, while Miltia did the same to Touma. Both boys froze in shock, though it was clear by the look on their faces, they didn't dislike it.

"I'm putting a stop to this!" Yang declared and grabbed the boys' by the back of their shirts and then yanked them to their feet. "Before this ridiculousness goes on any further."

"It seems she's jealous, Mel," Miltia commented loftily to her sister. "Just because she can't get a man."

"She's probably too old," Melanie agreed. "Guys don't like the clingy type."

Yang's eyes flashed red at the old comment and that snapped Jaune and Touma back to their senses. Each of them grabbed Yang's arms to keep this from escalating. The twins decided one last blow was needed and blew kisses at Jaune and Touma, before they turned and went back to work.

"Come on, Yang," Jaune tried to console her. "They just did that to push your buttons."

"You did trash their club." Touma added.

Yang looked between them for a moment and then took a deep breath.

"Point taken," Yang admitted. "I'll let it slide. Still don't like them." She turned and winked at Junior. "I'll catch you later!"

Once the guys were sure she wasn't going to do something stupid, they let her go, and began wheeling the ice cream load with them. The henchman was smart enough to put it on a small cart.

"Don't come back!" He replied.

"I know you don't mean that!"

"So why did you trash Junior's club?" Touma asked Yang, once they were safely out of the club. "I heard you destroyed it when I first arrived. Didn't know it was _you_ , just a Huntress."

"We got into an argument and things just spiraled out of control." Yang replied with a shrug. "His men were pretty quick to resort to violence and he was the one who brought out a rocket launcher. Those twins, pretty good fighters _and_ they have their Aura's unlocked."

"Rocket launcher?" Jaune repeated. "What kind of club was it?"

"Pretty _explosive._ " Neither of the guys laughed. "You both suck. It's run by Junior's gang, but the business is legitimate, even if his side dealings… well you saw them. I only found out about it _because_ it was so popular. People come from all over Vale to party." She glanced at the sky. "They should be opening up and look, crowds already forming up."

The boys turned and saw a group of people looking at them curiously. Seeing 3 people _leave_ the club before it opened who didn't look like employees had to be a strange sight.

"Let's… just get this back to Neo," Touma suggested pushing the cart with renewed vigor toward a taxi. "It's been a long day."

"The person who ran around with a couple wanted criminals, a terrorist organization, and who stopped a Grimm invasion is tired over a little shopping?" Yang teased. "You got to hang out with three attractive girls. Most would kill for that chance."

"I think I would take my chance with the Grimm again… ow!" Yang punched him in the arm.

"Look at the bright side." Jaune told Touma.

"Bright side?"

"We got a couple girls' number!" He held up the piece of paper. "And they seem to be into us!"

"I can't believe it either." Touma replied and pulled out his own. "A girl actually gave me her number and wasn't just thanking me for helping them out." Water began to form in his eyes. "It's the first time I actually have a chance with a girl."

"Me too," Jaune agreed. "Most girls turn me down. Weiss has done it dozens of time. Maybe I should call her. She's the first girl in Vale who actually seems interested in me."

The two boys made eye contact and then high fived each other.

Yang stared at them in disbelief.

 _Nooo._ She thought. _There is no way they can be that dense. Blake, Neo, Pyrrha… just… no._ Her astonishment grew as the boys continued to talk about a possibility of a girlfriend. Touma explaining to Jaune about how his luck prevented him from getting one and Jaune talking about how his sisters always tried to set him up with someone, rather than letting him find someone he liked on his own. _These two have to be the most blockheaded individuals on Remnant._

The taxi pulled up and Jaune started to stick the ice cream in the back. Yang rubbed her forehead and decided to take drastic measures.

"Okay you two," Yang announced. "If you two are going to be stupid, then I have no choice but to give you some information about girls."

"Stupid about what?" Touma asked, insulted. "We got their numbers. Shoot, my friends back home would kill to have done that."

"You got a foot in the door," Yang explained. "Now, you need to understand the subtle clues. It's not like a simple number is an indication that you are going to get anywhere with them."

"Getting a number from a girl isn't the same as having a girl throw themselves at us." Touma explained to Yang. "It's the thrill and excitement of taking a leap of faith and prevailing despite the odds!"

"Not quite what I was referring to," Yang interjected with a raised eyebrow. "And those are long odds."

"Because a girl won't come right out and say she likes you?" Jaune guessed. "My sisters told me that before."

"That's a start, but I'm going to give you a little more in-depth course."

Jaune recognized the darkness behind the smile that didn't reach her eyes. It was the same smile his sisters had when they planned to embarrass him.

If Touma had known, he would have been sure to mention his misfortune.

* * *

Blake was not happy.

She had been expecting a peaceful day in the library, only to be rudely interrupted by Neo, who took it upon herself to sit down at the table across from her. The rule for her to be escorted at all times was either forgotten or outright ignored. Blake was pretty sure it was the latter. At first, Neo didn't seem to do anything except read a fashion magazine she found somewhere, though Blake never let her guard down. An eye was kept on the girl at all times.

There was a reason Blake was watching her closely.

Neo was a former villain and it was an obvious reaction for her to be wary. The problem was, Neo was also a prankster. Sure, most of her pranks were centered on Touma, but Blake found herself on the receiving end more often now. Just this morning she had to make a quick stop back at her temporarily room for a book. Her intent was to retrieve it and return it to the library, yet she ended up finding her underwear hanging from the ceiling by a piece of string. It wasn't there when they had all left for breakfast, but it had to have been Neo. There was no one else who would or could have done that.

Without proof, there wasn't anything Blake could do at the moment.

Then at the library, Neo started chewing bubblegum and, again, Blake had no idea where she got it. Beacon didn't have any gum in the cafeteria. This wouldn't have been a problem by itself, but Neo then started blowing large bubbles and letting them pop. Blake moved to another spot and Neo followed to repeat the process. Fifteen minutes passed. Fifteen _long_ minutes for Blake, who didn't want Neo to know how much it bothered her. She finally snapped and slammed the book loudly on the table to finally get Neo to stop. Blake, in her defense, had tried to tell Neo to be quiet in the library. She really did. Her words were even polite for how she felt.

"Will you shut up already?!"

Naturally, Neo replied with her middle finger and went back to blowing bubbles. The two girls had risen to their feet and tensions rose. Blake really didn't like Neo and her attitude. This is when she made a big mistake.

She had suggested they spar because Neo seemed bored.

Blake rubbed her swollen cheek at the memory.

After fighting Neo once, Blake understood how the girl fought and how truly skilled she was. Her hope was there would be a chance of winning after witnessing Neo's style of fighting again when she faced Yang. Blake figured she could at least get a few good blows in, if nothing else, to get Neo to respect her even a tiny bit. Part of her expected Neo to ignore her suggestion and was surprised when she agreed.

That should have been the warning.

The fight did not go as intended.

 _She aimed for my face on purpose!_ Blake thought angrily as she headed to Team RWBY's room. She needed to collect some extra clothes. _And she changed her movements to what would work best against her opponent. They were nothing like what she did against Yang._ Blake crossed her arms in irritation. _And she was going easy on me!_ _She didn't even use her Semblance!_

She turned a corner and almost collided with other person.

"Watch where you're-…!" A shrill voice started to say.

"Weiss?" Blake interrupted.

"Oh, it's you Blake." Weiss muttered. Her eyes fell onto Blake's face. "What happened to you?"

"Neo got to me and I acted rashly," Blake muttered. "And now she disappeared again. Rules don't work on her." She tilted her head. "How did things go with Accelerator? I thought I wouldn't see you two until dinner."

"Things went… fine."

The tone was forced and Blake's bow twitched. A frown formed as Weiss turned down the hall to their dorm. Either Accelerator's invention didn't go well, or something else happened. Blake figured it had to be something else, as Weiss would just be complaining about their project not meeting expectations.

"Did something happen?" She asked, concerned.

"Just…nothing."

Weiss opened the door to their room. Blake followed her inside after a moment's hesitation. The devil dog was nowhere to be seen and Blake was thankful for that. She probably should have been worried, but Ruby was most likely taking him for a walk.

"Remember when you and Yang made a big deal of me hiding stuff?" Blake asked, as she sat down on her bed. "I can tell something is wrong. Do you want to talk about it? Did Accelerator turn you down?"

"…he's just not interested in a relationship if there's a chance he can return home." Weiss answered. "He doesn't see the point in a short term one."

"Makes sense." Blake admitted out loud. Her thoughts were a different matter. _Huh, he turned her down nicely. I don't feel that would be enough to upset her like this. It sounds like he said something bad to her._

Instead of voicing her thoughts, however, she waited for Weiss to continue.

"I could accept that," Weiss ranted. "Even if I don't like it, I understand it. Ozpin is working on getting him, Touma, and Last Order home, but I thought we might be able to spend more time together until then. There's also the chance they might not be able to go back…" She suddenly looked guilty at those words. "But to tell me… was he being serious or was he just trying to push me away?"

Blake remained quiet. It was best to wait until Weiss addressed her directly.

"I mean, sure… I don't know everything that happens in his world…. To tell me that, preposterous. There's no way he could be like that. Maybe they fight a lot there too, but they said there weren't monsters like Grimm there. Maybe they are in the middle of something like the Great War." Blake's ears twitched under her bow. "Gaining power through victory would make sense." She turned to Blake suddenly and the movement caused her to sit up straight. "I need you to answer a question honestly for me, Blake. Please."

Blake gave a nod after seeing the expression on her face.

"Do… Do you think Accelerator could be a murderer?"

Blake blinked in surprise.

She did not expect that question.

To give herself time to think, she rubbed her chin. He threatened people a lot, but she never saw him act out on much unless Last Order was involved. Even then, Cardin and his team were fine. There was also the way he fought the Grimm. Tearing their bodies apart without any hesitation indicated he had to be accustomed to ending life. The last clue was the way Neo treated him. She saw something in him that prevented her from messing with him. A criminal might have a sixth sense about other people. Blake turned her eyes toward Weiss and took a deep breath.

She wasn't going to like the answer.

"I think… it's possible."

* * *

"Finally back!" Yang declared, as they walked toward Beacon's main gate.

"And everyone is in one piece." Jaune added.

"You didn't even vomit on the Bullhead ride over." Yang congratulated him.

"Still hate them." He muttered.

"Why did you have to go into so much detail?" Touma asked Yang.

"You both needed it," Yang answered immediately. "I gave you a solid groundwork and it's up to you two to take the next step." _Maybe they will finally recognize Blake and Pyrrha's hints. Oh, Velvet too I guess. Coco's going to help with that._

"I thought my sisters were bad." Jaune groaned.

"What was that?!" Yang's eyes flashed.

"Nothing!" he yelped. "Thank you for taking time out of your day to help us."

"That's what I thought you said."

"Hey, Jaune," Touma asked. "Do you think you can bring Neo's ice cream up to our room? I want to visit Ozpin and check up on if he has any leads about our situation."

"It's only been a couple days." Yang pointed out. "But it's going to bug you until you ask, right?"

"Not that I don't like all of you…"

"You're such a charmer." Yang interrupted.

"…but there are people back home who depend on me." Touma continued. "I've been gone way too long as it is. If I can do anything to help him, I need to."

"Sure, man," Jaune told him. "If I see Neo, I'll tell her you will back shortly." He shivered. "Can you imagine what she would do if I brought the ice cream and didn't tell her where you went?"

"She would probably shove her parasol-…"

"…wouldn't be able to sit down for a month."

"Enough about the psycho midget!" Yang interjected and pushed Jaune forward. "I'll let the others know you're back and then you can model all those clothes for us. I'm sure Coco dropped them off already."

"Yeah…" Touma was not looking forward to it. He parted ways at the entrance hall and made his way to Ozpin's office.

"Hey, kid," A gruff and slightly familiar voice said. "Got a minute?"

"Sorry," Touma apologized and turned around. "I'm… Hey! You're that drunk!"

"If I was sober, I might take that as an insult." The man brushed back his black hair to give it a windswept look.

"You still flirting with girls half your age?" Touma asked, wondering who this guy was. He made it into Beacon so he was either here on business… or a spy."

"I wasn't flirting, I was doing recon… You know what? I don't have to explain myself to you." He took a swig from his flask and then pocketed it. "Relax kid. I work for Oz."

"And I'm supposed to believe that?"

"And he told me all about your BS hand and how he tried to unlock your Aura." The man cited. "Oh, that your group is from another world. Oh, how about the time you and that multicolor girl were making out-…"

"That wasn't… Okay, I get it! I believe you!" Touma glared at the man who was laughing at him. "You're an asshole, you know that?"

"Been talking to Winter, huh?"

"Who are you anyways?" Touma asked.

"Name's Qrow. I'm Ruby and Yang's uncle. Oz is currently occupied with someone who might be able to give some insight on your situation. So, to kill some time, how about you and I have a chat."

"I'd rather wait for Ozpin…"

"Hah." Qrow threw an arm over Touma's shoulder. "That's hilarious. You think you have a choice."

"Such misfortune."

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter. All mistakes are SilverFang88's fault.**

 **SF88: Fuck you Dark, I'm not the one who didn't update because of WoW. Get your shit together.**

 **DB: Spiderman.**

 **Lot of stuff happening all at once, so tried to cover important bits. Glanced over a few things that would be difficult to write about, like Yang's and Coco's talk. I don't know shit about shoes. If they fit, I wear them. Not everything is fun and games anymore and next chapter, back to heavy plot focus. As for your shippers, next chapter will have updated list. I expect to see some Qrow x Touma ones. Maybe some drawings to disturb SIlverFang.**


	25. Bad Luck Charms

**At last, I wanted Qrow and Touma to meet for ages. Two of the unluckiest people across the multiverse in one location is sure to cause some fun. As for my releases, I'm finding more time so hopefully I'll be updating most of my stories more frequently. This chapter would have come out a few days earlier, but SilverFang was away and I had to wait a bit for him. For those wanting more action, after this chapter, you will see how this has all been building up. The next few chapters will be full of the normal RWBY/Index combat most people have come to know and love. Set up is important and having people meet allows me to do a bit of world building instead of everyone just showing up without warning. Enough blabbing, you all have been waiting long enough. Though, quick reviewer response segment that can be skipped if you like.**

 **Saraak: Pretty much.**

 **LL: Hair gel won't work on his hair. Too much electricity permanently locked his hair in that position. One thing for a girl to say she likes him, another to actually give him a phone number. Touma will make sure his friends never find out.**

 **Sergio644: I don't know. There are some differences, which will be discussed. Maybe she will leave him alone now? Or it just makes her pry more into his life. Fifty-fifty.**

 **Awardedall: Where will they go? Atlas?**

 **A Special Kind of Stupid: Heh, you see where this is going.**

 **Inacio: Probably not. I like Arkos.**

 **Guest: Weiss asking Last Order is tough to pull off, not quite sure how to do that. Her interrogating Touma is more likely. Ruby would be the innocent soul that would help break Accelerator's shell. I'm… going to steal that like for Last Order. Take pride in that fact.**

 **Xeno01: Idealistic speeches are the best. Accelerator will open up, eventually. I can hardly keep him in character if he just tells everyone all his past experiences and cries. Ironwood would be an amazing person to talk to Accelerator. That is something I would like to write. Nah, Aleister won't show up for a while.**

 **98kazer: Obviously, he will be happy for her…heh. Naaaaah.**

 **dickythamrin077: True, Touma has the best luck. Touma needs twins.**

 **JumpingToaster: That…. might tie into this chapter. Yeah, I feel that. It had to happen, but making it work the right amount of time is tricky. Life always takes priority over a hobby. Can't blame people who stop writing because stuff happens.**

 **TheLastSterling: Real life, right? Requiring money to live so I spend most of my week working. Not sure about the abilities, to be honest. Blake would be pretty low and Weiss might be higher due to versatility.**

 **Ahsoei: Yep, not a professional. Jaune and Touma will get confused a lot thinking there might be more to the girls' playful banter.**

 **Bluejack222: Will happen for sure.**

 **shadow wolf125767: There's more going on than some teen drama.**

 **HydraLightning: I try.**

 **Jujudude: She's going to annoy him until he snaps or tells her.**

 **Fernandamichelleraya: It's more the fun of joking about it and if the main character chooses a specific girl, you kind of lose that bit of comedy relief. But yeah, Touma would be loyal to one girl… if he had one. I found out from past experience you can skip some of the more mundane descriptions and leave them to people's imagination. Yang loves gossip and matchmaking. Accelerator will be asking where Last Order learned to shoot a gun. Ruby isn't into relationships right now, but she is a teenager. There are urges. Penny will have a bigger role in upcoming adventures. As for Blake, she's one of my favorite characters to write, reason she was the one who encountered Touma first.**

 **Handsomistic1: Lady Killers, both of them. Once Pyrrha finds out, she will need to be more aggressive. Weiss, why must you be interested in bad guys when there's a nice guy right in front of you?**

 **Guest: Exactly, it will force her to confront Accelerator. Last Order won't want to say too much and the Will can't reach her due to there being no Network.**

 **Metalslug27: Well, fanfics help a lot with limited timing. The show itself has to get from point A to point B in a set time period, while fanfics can go at their own pace. Torchwick was the best character by far in RWBY. Shipping is just part of the fun. If pairs happen naturally, I'm not going to be a dick and force them apart with bad writing. Sorry, Misaka Network can't cross dimensions. The thing is with the network, Accelerator and Last Order don't know the true meaning of it yet. They have had glimpses, but Aleister would never let them find out the real reason. Motoharu knows a little more about it than they do. Not sure how I'm going to reveal the network's full potential, but I can reveal the original reasoning behind it easily enough. The thing is, characters need to change based on experience. Otherwise, they remain static. While that works for some, it makes them unrealistic. The trick is to keep their core the same while making subtle changes that relate to actual events.**

 **WiliamZ0: Never let Yang know you like it! It doesn't matter at this point about the truth. Different world, people will leave him alone if they know the truth. When he gets back, they won't follow. Touma's character there is very important. When he meets Salem, things will happen. Not that of course, but things. Touma would be a great wingman and Accelerator should just give in. Junior's club is important, must protect it.**

 **Mr. X: 1) It makes knowing who you are a lot easier for sure. 2) Can't remember now. It was a long time ago. 3) Lots of people can flirt; it's going past that that causes problems. 4) Neo kills the kill and Blake steals the number, obviously.**

 **Guest: I'm going to avoid the Last Order pairings for various reasons. Touma and Qrow name wasn't bad, but it's pretty similar to other names.**

 **Guest: Dragon will come out at least once.**

 **Kinaki747: Zwei is the superior character.**

 **Guest: Ozpin could tell Accelerator went through shit. He doesn't know the specifics.**

 **Croniklerx: I don't mind an occasional prod about when the story comes out. I usually respond about where I am currently. Some people just freak out a little bit more than they should. Yang is one of those girls that likes to be a matchmaker, but Jaune and Touma are challenging. As for Accelerator, you aren't the only one to mention his genius. Someone else told me that a while back when Accelerator started learning dust. It's one thing to say they are smart, another to show it. I'll take that about Weiss into account. I don't want to go too slow, as the story wouldn't get anywhere, so there's a fancy balancing act.**

 **You ever try confessing to someone you like as a teenager? It's pretty hard if you aren't completely sure they will say yes. Index is a combat series. The only reason romance is in there is the publisher liked Mikoto and wanted more of her. Index ship has sunk, but now she's family rather than romantic. I always felt Kuroko was more admiration than love. At her age, it's easy to confuse them. As she grows up, her feelings will most likely change. If Accelerator can understand and calculate the vectors, he can block anything. Kakine's unusual vectors caused problems at the beginning and so did magic in Russia. Yeah, if you are immune to range attacks and don't let Accelerator grab you, you can survive. And yes, Emerald was the one I thought of to beat Accelerator.**

 **ShadowBloodedge9396: This story became unexpectedly popular. Crossovers are kind of weird in who likes them and many people don't. Neo is one character no one knows a lot about. You see her in work mode, but never what she does during her free time. Authors love using her because of that. The A Team: Touma, Accelerator and Hamazura! Accelerator just walks up in the Vytal festival, blows up the arena, and then heads back to his room for a nap.**

 **Googlemo: Yeah, Accelerator is always OP. Touma… he's a lot more manageable. Never! If people take the time to comment, I'll take a few mins and type a response.**

 **Guest: Time is a limited resource and thus need to spread it out. I have more time in the future now, so more updates should happen quicker. All my chapters are great, heh.**

 **A certain guest: Healed up, hormonal imbalances, and being treated like a person instead of a freak? Outbursts are bound to happen and the truth is one of the easier ways to get her to go away. Last Order is a great influence on him, but threaten her and you die. A lot of people have expressed ideas on what to do for the big reveal and I'm considering different routes.**

 **Aquadude: Well, can't have everything sunshine and daisies on remnant.**

 **Kami: I feel like adding another cliffhanger. Cliffhangers make people excited to turn the page. I guarantee Touma will be beaten up a lot.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

"I'm surprised you followed me all the way out here, kid." Qrow sat down on a stump near the edge of the cliff Ozpin liked to fire new prospective students off. Touma didn't know that though. "Didn't your parents ever teach you not to follow strangers even if they offer you candy?"

"Pretty sure the only thing you could offer me is alcohol," Touma countered. "And that would be an entirely different problem."

"Hah! Like I would waste alcohol on a brat." Qrow took a swig from his flask. "Seriously though, what made you follow me instead of rushing off?"

"Three reasons," Touma answered and held up a finger. Unlike what Qrow would do, it wasn't his middle one. "First, you know about my predicament. There are only a handful of people who know that. I doubt you're part of Roman's group, as you strutted into Beacon without a care in the world."

"Hiding in plain sight is a thing, you know?" Qrow shrugged. "But not a bad start. What're the other two?"

"Second…" Touma held up a second finger. "I've learned from experience that when some strange guy with a weapon tells you he wants to talk privately, it's best to go or risk getting innocent people involved."

Qrow raised an eyebrow in response.

"Not all sunshine and daisies in your world, huh?"

"Third…" Touma raised the third finger, pointedly ignoring Qrow's remark. "Yang and Ruby mentioned they had an uncle who was drunk all the time."

"Slander!" Qrow declared and put a hand over his heart. "Sometimes I have a hangover, which means I'm not currently drunk enough for life."

"Like that makes it any better!"

"Jokes aside, I'm sure you're wondering what I came to talk to you about." Qrow's gaze suddenly became serious.

"My power?" Touma replied.

"Kind of," Qrow corrected him. "I got a general overview about it from Oz, so you don't have to go over it again. I bet you're sick of that story by now." Touma wanted to shrug, but instead gave a short nod. He had explained what he knew about the Imagine Breaker a half dozen times in the span of a few days. "I even experienced it that one time." Qrow trailed off for a moment before continuing. "It's a lot easier to believe that way."

"Weiss didn't fully believe my power either until I demonstrated it." Touma reminisced. "I guess with Aura being a key element to fighting Grimm, a power that can negate it would be unbelievable to most."

"You have no idea." Qrow paused. "You ever have problems because of it in your world?"

"What makes you say that?" Touma asked, his brow raised in evident surprise.

"Besides the hero display you put on to impress those two girls-…" Qrow started to say.

"It wasn't like that!" Touma interjected.

"-…it was obvious the moment I looked into your eyes," Qrow finished. "I caught a glimpse of the Accelerator kid through a picture Oz sent to me. Both of you have seen some shit. It also explained how you two adapted so fast to our world. So answer me. Do you have problems because of your powers?"

"Yeah," Touma admitted. "Accelerator is considered the most powerful ability user in Academy City. I bet you guess what happens around him."

"Other idiots challenging him to be the top dog," Qrow stated and waved his hand. "People pretending to be his friend just to get recognition, or even someone tricking him into doing something vile with the promise of more power? Am I wrong?"

"I could understand the first two." Touma stared at him with his mouth open. "But how did you guess that last one?"

"People with power tend to want more power," Qrow replied with a shrug. "That's how things work. I'm not going to pry into the specifics, we all got secrets we keep for a reason. That little girl, Last Order? By the way they act together; I assume she's tied into some kind of apology tour with him. Watching her as a glorified babysitter or something?"

Touma tilted his head in confusion for a moment at Qrow's insight, and then shrugged.

"I… actually don't know why they are together," Touma informed him. "It's just… she's been a really good influence on him." Touma shrugged again. "Not really my business." He rubbed his chin. "Though, I'm surprised you can come to a conclusion just like that."

"I work for Oz in gathering information on the… Grimm," Qrow explained with on a very slight pause. "I'm used to being able to figure out a lot from very little information." He took a small swig of his flask. "So, what about you? Having the power to negate abilities in a city full of ability users must make you pretty unique."

"Kind of?" Touma kicked the ground. "It's more like they think I don't have any potential." Qrow raised an eyebrow at this. "My power isn't an ability the city developed. It's something I was born with. So they consider me a level 0." He paused to look at Qrow and noticed him nodding. Ozpin must have given him a better run down than Touma had thought. "And it prevents me from having an ability, like I guess it's preventing my Aura from being unlocked here."

"Uh huh."

"It's been useful, though." Touma missed Qrow's muttering. "So I'm not going to complain. We all work with what we got and make the best use of what we have."

"A good lesson for anyone," Qrow acknowledged. "You seem alright." He stood up and stretched out his back. "After hearing about your little adventure with Ruby, I wanted to see what you were like. You're a lot more grounded than I thought you would be."

"What made you think I wouldn't be?" Touma asked surprised.

"Ruby."

"Ruby?"

"I heard she was fawning over you like some fan girl," Qrow explained. "And that you had saved her life back in Mt. Glenn. I was worried you might have been the hero type who throws himself to the wolves to save a complete stranger."

"Eh…hehehe." Touma gave a nervous chuckle. "I've done that before." Qrow raised an eyebrow again. "Couple people got mad at me for doing that, but someone needed help and I was the only one who was willing to do so. Even if the world is against me, I'll stand by my convictions." He paused when Qrow groaned. "What? You think that's stupid?"

"Not really," Qrow answered after a moment of silence. "It's just… there was someone like you I knew and respected. She was a defender of the weak, bane of the Grimm, and someone who could get along with just about anyone." He laughed. "She was the only reason our team worked back in Beacon."

He took yet another swig from his flask before tossing it aside as he gazed out into the distance.

"What… what happened to her?" Touma asked.

"She… never came back from a mission," Qrow said softly, his eyes still staring off into the distance. A large branch fell off a tree and caused a couple of birds to emerge from the treetops. "Her one weakness? She never left someone alone when she could help it. Even if the situation was dire, she would take up her blade and charge forward to give people a chance to escape. Her strength inspired everyone, Grimm would cower before her… shit." He pulled out another flask and took a swig. "The thing is kid, the desire to protect, to be a hero, led to her downfall. Ruby idolizes heroes and wants to be one herself. I won't stand in her way…" His eyes fell on him. "But I also don't want her to think risking her life in a hopeless situation is the way to go."

"Ah." Touma looked away. "Guess I should be honest then. I've… done some pretty stupid things and got wrapped up in a hopeless situation against someone who… let's say could reshape the world to her liking. I still stood before her in tragic circumstance… and still… I survived. We both did. I can't say I won, but it allowed her to realize what she was doing was wrong. I found out, you can't always punch your way out of a problem. Sometimes, you have to use your head." He kicked the ground. "There are a lot of people far more powerful than I am. Yet… "Touma continued, following Qrow's example and looking out into the distance. "I learned there are other possible endings if you just look a little harder."

"It sounds personal, so I won't pry."" Qrow commented, as a shadow of a smirk surfaced onto his face. "I _am_ glad to hear that though. The last thing Ruby needs is another reckless person close to her. Yang does that enough by herself." He laughed and stopped when he heard a crack. Nothing seemed out of place and he continued. "So enough moping around. I really wanted to personally thank you for helping my niece out of that bad situation. If her old man was around, he would probably have you in a bear hug. You're lucky I'm not the hugging type."

"And here I was looking forward to one." Touma said sarcastically.

"I'll give you one if you really want," Qrow said suddenly and stood up. He stretched his arms out. "Come here."

"Ah!" Touma started backing away. "I'll have to burn these clothes. That smell of alcohol would never come out!"

Qrow started laughing, stepped forward and smacked Touma on the back.

"I was just kidding," Qrow said, still smirking. "Glad to see you have a sense of humor though." His eyes flashed. "So kid, you have a girlfriend back home or did you come to our world to get one?"

"W-wha-…?!" Spluttered Touma. The suddenness of the shift in tone and topic threw him off balance. Qrow's laughter told him that was the entire point of the question. "Very funny."

"Really? No one special you want to return home to?"

"Well…" Touma paused and Qrow's amusement faded. "There is one… We aren't like that," he added quickly. "She's… pretty much family and I promised to always protect her. My disappearance is going to worry her for sure." He frowned. "She already lost me once and I can't let her go through that again…"

He trailed off, his words obviously not directed to Qrow.

 _There's a story behind that,_ Qrow realized. He recognized the darkening features on the boy's face. It was a mix of emotions he was intimately familiar with. _And it's not pleasant._ He reached into his pocket and pulled out his flask. "Here."

Touma reacted instinctively and managed to catch the flask Qrow had tossed at him, after almost fumbling it.

"Why did you give me this?"

"It looked like you could use a drink." Qrow pointed out.

"I'm underage!" Qrow shrugged at him.

"Maybe in your world. On Remnant, Hunters in training can drink at seventeen. Something along the lines that if they are old enough to stake their lives to protect us, they should be old enough to drink."

Touma eyed the flask in his hands suspiciously.

"It's not poison," Qrow sighed. "It's my own personal stock. You don't realize how lucky you are."

Touma screwed off the cap, sniffed, grimaced, and then took a swig. Qrow reached over and swiped the flask back as Touma started having a coughing fit.

"W-what is t-that?!" Touma half gasped, half demanded. "It tasted like gasoline."

"Gasoline?" Qrow clarified. "That fuel made from crude oil?"

"That's it… wait, you guys have gasoline here?" Touma couldn't hide his surprise. "I thought everything ran on dust."

"There are other forms of energy," Qrow informed him with a roll of his eyes. "Oil, solar, wind, lots of different kinds. It's just, none of them were as efficient as dust and they were weeded out over the years. I mean, when a small dust crystal could generate the power of gallons of oil, or huge panels, why wouldn't we focus on the more efficient source? Shipping is one of the most dangerous jobs if you go outside the main cities. So you limit the trips by packing as much as possible. You've been outside the walls. Can you tell me it wouldn't be hard for normal people to travel by train or car? I suppose you can still find oil in a few out of the way areas."

"No," Touma replied quickly. "I understand your point." He looked out over the cliff. "Is it just me, or is it strange there are so many things alike between our worlds. I mean, even the terminology like pizza or gasoline is the same."

"I had been wondering that," Qrow admitted. "If Ozpin's theory was right about parallel worlds, your world may be right next to ours on the weird dimensional axis… thing. There is bound to be some similarities, probably."

"Probably?" Touma repeated, amused.

"Shut it, kid," Qrow snapped. "This is far beyond my pay grade."

 _Crack!_

"What was that?" Touma said suddenly and looked around.

 _Just great,_ Qrow thought annoyed and made sure his flask was secure. _It wasn't my imagination. Why is it happening so fast this time?_

"You might want to hold on to something, kid."

"Huh?!" Touma wanted to ask more, but was interrupted by a series of loud cracking sounds. The ground shuddered and then sunk a foot. "The cliff's collapsing!"

"Sucks, doesn't it?" Qrow didn't seem amused or worried, just accepting. The ground sunk again and Touma wobbled as he tried to maintain his balance.

"Shit!"

The ground collapsed under them as part of the cliff gave way. The two of them slid down the cliff side, leading into the forest below. Touma would have fallen down if Qrow hadn't reached over and grabbed his left arm to help stabilize him. There was nothing he could do about the impact when the cliff wall hit the ground and threw up a cloud of dirt, dust, and rock. Touma fell and scraped his arm, but otherwise was unharmed, though he could feel his bones rattling. He coughed and covered his face with his arm until the air cleared. When he could finally see, he saw Qrow standing over him with a weird expression on his face. It was a combination of depression and acceptance.

"Just my luck," Touma said, after accepting a helping hand from Qrow to get up on his feet. "Doesn't matter where I go. Such misfortune."

Qrow froze.

"What did you say?" He asked slowly.

"…it's nothing." Touma could feel Qrow staring at him without even looking. "Well," he finally added after a moment. "I have the worse luck possible back home. If anything can go wrong, it will. Attacked by animals, pots falling off window-sills, random people being chased ending up on my balcony and I get involved… it's so annoying. Why can't I have a normal life?!" He shouted out that last part and Qrow remained silent until the echo faded off into the distance.

Then he started to laugh.

"It's not funny!" Touma yelled at him after a moment. Qrow's reaction had stunned him. "You know how much trouble my luck causes me and others? I can't even get a girlfriend because who would want to be with a penniless, unlucky-…"

"I know."

The words caught in Touma's voice at the seriousness of Qrow's.

"You know?" Touma repeated skeptically and then blinked. "Sorry. It's just… most people either make fun of my luck or say it's all in my head."

"Been there, kid." Qrow looked up at the sky for a moment. "You know what Semblances are, right?"

"I've seen enough of them." Touma replied with a nod.

"Did you know crows are a symbol of bad luck?" Qrow kicked a rock. "It's an old superstition, but it's how I got my name."

"No way," Touma muttered. "You're unlucky too? Are you like this world's version of me?!"

That got a laugh from Qrow, even if brief.

"Not quite," Qrow corrected him. "Probably… stop asking about things involving different worlds. Already told you it's above my pay grade." He grew silent for a moment. "Some people can burst into rose petals, some people can convert damage into raw power… me? I was just born unlucky." He gave a short dry laugh. "Like you, I guess."

"I bet it made growing up hard," Touma sympathized, as he sat down on a rock. He glanced up at the cliff. The incline wasn't too bad, so they could probably climb out easily enough. Assuming it didn't collapse on them.

If what Qrow was implying was true, luck would not be with them.

"You have no idea." Qrow pulled out his flask and took a long swig. "Even without my luck, childhood… well, let's just say it was a lot more… hands-on when learning to survive." His face darkened. "My Semblance isn't like most. I don't consciously use it. It's just… there. Whether I like it or not. I bring misfortune." He chuckled. "Friends, enemies, family… it doesn't matter. The longer someone stays around me, the more they are impacted."

"Ruby did mention you weren't around a lot," Touma remembered. "But you taught her the scythe when you were."

"That's one thing I'm proud of." Qrow said with a nod. "She wanted to be a hero, regardless of what anyone told her. I simply gave her the tools to do it." He smiled at the memory. "My luck doesn't affect me, but everyone around me. You can probably guess it's pretty useful when fighting an enemy, a loose foothold here, a falling branch there, little things that throw them off balance..."

"…It's when it hurts those close to you that you hate it." Touma finished.

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Sounds like I am lucky then," Touma muttered and then gave a dry laugh of his own. "My bad luck usually only affects myself. My classmates always say I act as a lightning rod for theirs. They always feel luckier when I'm around. If I'm the only one who's hurting and they can smile, maybe it's not as bad as I thought."

"Careful with that kind of thinking," Qrow pointed out.

"Why?"

"If someone who truly cares about you sees you constantly in pain," he explained. "What do you think that will do to them?" Touma frowned and couldn't maintain eye contact. "I move from place to place to prevent others from getting caught up in my luck. From what I heard, you live in a single city, so there's a huge boon for you. I would kill for that… not you." Qrow chuckled when Touma scooted a bit away from him. "It's a figure of speech. Besides, Ruby would have something to say about that if I tried. No, there was something else I noticed. You remember the first time we met?"

"When you were flirting with girls a fourth your age?" Touma asked with a smirk.

"They were only half-… well played." Qrow slapped him on the back and sent him tumbling off the rock he was sitting on. "I told you, I was gathering information. Junior's is that kind of place."

"I know that now." Touma admitted.

"Good, now stop telling Ruby and Yang I was hitting on those twins."

"I'll think about it."

"Smartass." Qrow shook his head. "I was referring to when you used your power on me. My Aura returned the second you stopped touching me, but I noticed something else. My Semblance didn't start activating until the next day, or the misfortune was so small I didn't notice. I'm wondering if you hand didn't just negate it, but sort of… reset the threshold?"

"No idea." Touma shrugged. "I have no idea how my hand works, let alone how Aura exists."

"Well, it was a welcome relief, so thanks for that. I could spend the night with a girl without worrying if the bed would collapse."

"Glad I could help you get a booty call."

"It makes what's coming next much easier." Qrow added and then his eyes narrowed. Touma knew why he suddenly grew serious. Bushes were rustling on the forest lines and dark shapes began to emerge from behind trees. Dozens of Grimm were congregating on the two of them.

"Is this your luck, or mine?" Touma asked, scrambling to his feet.

"I'm guessing both." Qrow laughed. "If what your friends say is true, maybe you're acting like a lightning rod for my bad luck." He pulled out a long sword from his back. The blade was rather bulky compared to a normal sword and there were gears in the hilt.

"Shit!" Touma cursed. "They won't attack me, but we kind of made a pathway right into Beacon!" He gestured to the slope behind him.

"Then I guess we stop them here." Qrow said nonchalantly as he swaggered forward. "Catch!" He tossed his flask back toward Touma. "Drop it, and your life is forfeit."

"I'll help," Touma volunteered.

"Just stay back and block them from getting to the school." Qrow ordered. "I'm a trained Huntsman, kid. I can handle this many Grimm, easily. Besides, the school is full of people capable of slaughtering Grimm, plus automated turrets. Relax and enjoy the show."

The second he moved out of Touma's range, a Beowolf leapt at him, its long claws extended outwards. With speed so fast Touma could only see a blur, Qrow's blade sliced the Grimm in half vertically.

 _I guess he 'does' know what he's doing,_ Touma thought and took a couple steps back. He looked at the flask in his hand. _I see why he drinks._ Touma glanced up at Qrow, hacking through any Grimm stupid enough to approach, and then glanced back down at the flask.

He shrugged and unscrewed the cap.

* * *

"You wanted to see us, sir?" Jaune asked, as he and the rest of Team JNPR entered Ozpin's office.

"Yes," Ozpin replied and gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. "Please, have a seat. I have something to discuss with you."

Behind him, leaning up against the wall, was an older woman, in her mid-forties, though she had aged well. Her long reddish-brown hair streaked with bright red was tied back in a ponytail and she was scrolling on a tablet similar to Glynda's. Her clothes were simple brown with multiple pockets in slightly lighter shades, and it looked like she had patched her pants and sleeves multiple times. About five paces away from her was Accelerator. He was leaning up against the wall and his expression was unreadable.

"If it was about the person who raided the kitchen and left a mess," Nora pipped up. "It wasn't us. No matter how big of a temptation those cupcakes were."

"Er… hehe?" Pyrrha let out a weak laugh and tried not to look guilty. In their defense, the cupcakes were chocolate.

"There are currently no clues to the whereabouts of the culprits." A small smile tugged on Ozpin's lips. "If you know anything, Glynda is currently searching for them. I expect they will be severely punished if caught."

Nora and Pyrrha shared a look of mutual silence.

"We understand, sir." Ren replied.

"What I wish to talk to you about concerns our visitors from another world," Ozpin explained and gestured toward Accelerator. "But first, an introduction. This is Eliza Anthurium, a longtime associate and friend of mine. Eliza, this is Team JNPR." As he said their names, he gestured to each in turn. "Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, and the leader, Jaune Arc."

"A pleasure." Eliza greeted them briefly. Her eyes traveled over them, like she was judging them, before turning to Ozpin. "Are you sure they can handle this?"

"They were not only involved with Mt. Glenn," Ozpin reassured her. "But they also defended Vale from the Breach. Even though our selection for this task is limited, I assure you they will be up for the task."

"Do you know about Accelerator's predicament?" Jaune asked. "We know Professor Ozpin was researching-…"

"I have been given a full briefing over the situation." Eliza told him curtly, as she cut him off. "As Ozpin told you, my name is Eliza Anthurium, a colleague of Bartholomew Oobleck. I'm a historian, but I'm also a physicist. When Ozpin contacted me with…" She glanced over at Accelerator. "…this unusual situation, I immediately volunteered. There have been a lot of theories involving parallel dimensions, but this is the first time we have solid proof of it. This could also give us knowledge on something historians have been arguing about for years."

"What would that be?" Pyrrha asked.

"The origin of Grimm."

Silence followed Eliza's announcement.

"I know we learned that the origin of Grimm was up for debate," Jaune finally said. "But what does Accelerator, Touma, and Last Order coming from another world have to do with this."

Eliza raised an eyebrow. Before she could say anything, Pyrrha gasped.

"One theory is that Grimm come from another world!" She exclaimed.

"Precisely." Eliza nodded. "There are a lot of theories of their origin and… while I disapprove of the supernatural ones, I try to keep an open mind. Especially since we never had a good opportunity to examine their anatomy, as they disappear on death." She started pacing back and forth. "Ancient cultures believed that Grimm were animals possessed by evil spirits or were the spirits of once tortured animals. Many religious people believe the Grimm were made by Gods to punish humanity for turning their backs on them. I would like to say they evolved naturally but, as there is little evidence to support that, I have to keep searching for the answer."

"If they come from another world," Ren said softly and rubbed his chin. "Then it would explain their unusual anatomy. Their world might not follow the same laws of physics as ours. Fascinating."

"Self-serving," Accelerator muttered from the back and Eliza frowned.

"I'm not going to lie and say it's not, at least a little," she admitted. "But I would have helped Ozpin even if it wasn't. We do go way back."

"I never liked history," Nora spoke up. "I much rather be out making history! So what's this have to do with us?"

"Your team will be accompanying Eliza on a trip to a reach institution that was created to research possible alternate dimensions." Ozpin stated and the room grew silent.

"Oookay?" Jaune finally said. "But why would you need us? We aren't the most…" He paused and his eyes darted toward Nora for a moment. "…the most subtle group."

"Two reasons," Ozpin stated. "The first is that you know about the situation and we wish to keep the number of individuals who know the truth as low as possible. This meant the choices were either you or Team RWBY."

"But why would you need us to go along if Miss Anthurium-…" Pyrrha started to ask.

"Eliza, please. Miss makes me feel old."

"…if Eliza already knew about them?" Pyrrha corrected herself. "I don't think we will be much help with any kind of research. Our training focuses more on fighting Grimm.

"Which you will be doing," Ozpin informed them with a smile. "This leads to the second reason."

"The lab is a little off the grid," Eliza explained. "And there is no doubt it will be a challenge to reach it."

"Mad scientist lab hidden away from the city." Accelerator clarified.

"Cool!" Nora cheered. "I bet it's covered with Grimm and has all sorts of cool stuff I can try out! Maybe they will have a battle suit or something?"

"We won't be going there to play around, Nora." Ren stated.

"I know," Nora reassured him. "But that doesn't mean we can't do both."

"Where is this research station?" Jaune asked. "And who does it belong to." At his question, Ozpin and Eliza's face darkened.

"I heard you were familiar with Merlot Industries?" Eliza asked and the temperature in the room dropped several degrees.

"Yes." Jaune nodded.

"They were that evil corporation that attracted Grimm to Mt. Glenn!" Nora fumed.

"They personified the saying that the ends justifies the means," Ren added.

"An excellent analogy," Eliza told him. "Merlot was obsessed with Grimm. There's no other word for it. He wanted to know everything about them, including their origin." She sighed. "It took a lot of work and digging into old records, but we finally found where a hidden lab was developed off the books. It's underground, as to protect the scientists from Grimm attacks. The reason Ozpin wanted to send some people with me, is the area is infested with Grimm. There is also the possibility that subterranean Grimm infest the lab. I have not been able to find a layout, so once we get there, we will be going in blind." She slammed a hand on Ozpin's desk. "What I did confirm though, was the fact it was used to research the possibility of different dimensions intersecting with ours. Even if the answer doesn't exist, we will more likely than not discover a lead of some kind."

"I said I would be enough," Accelerator growled. "I could head over there and investigate the area myself. Not like the Grimm would be a problem."

"I'm not going to miss a chance to study this." Eliza responded. "Plus you don't know what you're looking for. If you miss something or blow something up because you're not familiar with the technology, what then?"

"Accelerator," Ozpin stated firmly. "I understand where you are coming from. Your intelligence and adaptability are impressive, by anyone's standards. However, Eliza is right. This is unknown territory and she has more experience with this. For all you know, there could be a vault of papers to go through. Do you want to try to read them all on the spot or carry them back by yourself?" Accelerator remained quiet. "Can you honestly tell me your body and ability is in top form? You did say healing you received might have had some side effects. I'm not going to let someone run off on their own without confirming they have the ability. Sending someone on a suicide run is not something I will do."

"Fine," Accelerator spat out. "Do what you want."

"Thank you." Ozpin turned back to Team JNPR. "Are there any questions?"

"When do we leave?" Nora asked immediately.

"On Monday." Ozpin answered. "You will leave as if you are going on a normal first year missions with the other teams to avoid questions. I know I told you and Team RWBY Mt. Glenn was supposed to be that mission, but Hunters and Huntresses don't always get time off. This is a good lesson for all of you."

"Are you okay with us coming along?" Pyrrha directed her question toward Accelerator.

"Not like I get much say in it, does it?" He snapped back and then looked away. "You guys are also not totally useless, so it's fine."

"Ren!" Nora cheered. "He likes us!"

"It appears so." Ren agreed amused. Jaune and Pyrrha both chuckled at this and then grew quiet under Accelerator's gaze.

"If that's all," Eliza said to Ozpin. "I can brief them more on the details after we leave. I advise making sure you bring enough supplies for at least three to four days. There's a little bit of a hike. The Bullhead can only take us so far."

"Great," Jaune muttered and Pyrrha patted him on the back.

"You all may leave," Ozpin said to them kindly. "I do admire resting tomorrow. I feel this journey will be eventful."

"Thank you, sir," Jaune Pyrrha, and Ren replied. Nora had sprung to her feet the second he said they could go. She hated sitting still for long.

"At least you are keeping your word," Accelerator glanced back over his shoulder at Ozpin as he was leaving. "No Grimm will stand between me and that lab."

The office door slammed behind him and Ozpin sighed.

"We… will just be going," Jaune said hesitantly and Ozpin gave a brief nod of acknowledgement. Team JNPR scooted out the door and, as it closed behind them, Jaune noticed Ozpin and Eliza had started discussing something. "Well, that was unexpected," he said to the others.

"Why's Accelerator so grumpy?" Nora asked. "I mean, he always kind of was, but he was getting better. You think he's sick or something?"

"I couldn't really tell," Pyrrha admitted. "I thought he was just impatient about finding out how to get home. Can you imagine being stuck so far away from home? That front of his, I think he's just trying to stay strong for Last Order."

"Nora's pretty perceptive when people are down," Ren explained. "And… I think I agree with her. Something was off."

"What do you think could have happened?" Jaune asked the others. "Nothing big happened today, did it?" They shrugged. "Guess… I could try to talk to him. Not sure what good that will do though."

"You have a way with people, Jaune-" Pyrrha reassured him.

"Except Weiss." Nora interrupted and Ren had to cover her mouth.

"-Even if he doesn't share everything, I'm sure he will appreciate the company." Pyrrha finished.

"Please make sure to put that down on my epitaph if I don't make it back." Jaune said to them.

"Roger, boss." Nora saluted him as if he was going off to fight in an epic battle. Which, with Accelerator being involved, could very well be true. Ren and Pyrrha merely rolled their eyes. Jaune waved goodbye to all of them and then sprinted down a side corridor. He figured Accelerator would head immediately back to his room, so Jaune chose the most direct route.

His decision had been correct.

"Hey, Accelerator!" Jaune called out. Accelerator's steps faltered for a second as his head turned, and then resumed his pace. "Come on, man! Wait up!"

With a sigh, Accelerator slowed down.

"What do you want?"

"It's… Nora was under the impression something was bothering you." Jaune admitted, figuring honesty was the best policy here. "Did something happen?"

"No, fuck off."

"Okay, now I know something is up. My sisters always snap at me like that when they have a problem." Accelerator actually stopped at this and turned. His eyes were flashing dangerously.

"Did you just call me a girl?"

"W-what!? No! I was just pointing out people get easily agitated when they are thinking about something serious!" Sweat formed on the back of his neck and he was mentally preparing himself to be blasted through a wall.

"It's none of your business. Stop prying into shit that doesn't concern you." Accelerator started walking off and Jaune quickly stepped into stride next to him.

"Looking forward to getting back home?" Jaune asked and Accelerator ignored him. "Worried about Last Order?" There was still no response. "Get in a fight with someone?"

Accelerator's steps faltered slightly.

 _Maybe growing up with seven sisters really did help me more than I realized._ Jaune thought.

"You're really persistent about this, aren't you?"

"Eh, I can't talk to girls, but I can at least relate to guys."

"You talk to Ruby easily enough."

"You actually call Ruby by her name?" Jaune pointed out.

"Shut it."

"Who did you fight with and what happened?"

"You really aren't going to let this drop, are you?"

"Nora would break my leg if I didn't try."

"I'll break _both_ your legs if you don't leave."

"There's a chance you aren't serious," Jaune shivered. "Nora keeps her promises."

"I'll keep my promise," Accelerator threatened and Jaune stepped out of reach. "If I tell you, will you go away?"

"Sure."

"Ice Queen kept bothering me so I got her to go away."

"Weiss?" Jaune looked confused. "You two usually got along pretty well."

"Well she hates me now," Accelerator stated. "Or fears me, don't really care. Go comfort her and keep her away from me." He turned a corner and Jaune stopped.

 _Damn, Snow Angel needs comforting? I should be there for her, but if she really likes him and they can get everything patched up…_ He grabbed his head in frustration as the moral debate raged inside of him. Eventually, he took a deep breath and sighed. Knowing there was one possible choice for him.

 _Mom raised me too well._

* * *

"We're here!" Ruby announced, as she and the rest of her team entered Ozpin's office.

"I appreciate you coming at such short notice." Ozpin thanked them and then glanced over at Glynda. "I know you must still be tired from the events from Mt. Glenn, but we wish for your team to assist in another mission."

"It's only been a few days since the breach," Weiss pipped up immediately. "Is this mission that important?"

"Obviously, or they wouldn't have called us." Yang said with an eye roll, which earned her a glare from Weiss.

"Since you called us specifically so soon after the breach for a mission," Blake commented, drawing attention from her team before a fight could start in front of their teachers. "I assume this deals with information many are not aware of?"

"Very astute." Ozpin replied.

"The task is to investigate some strange Grimm movement," Glynda informed them, pointing a holographic map on Ozpin's desk. "The city of Relotem is here, near the edge of Vale's border. Calling it a city is rather generous, but it's location on a plateau make it easily defendable, even being near the Grimm Wilds. For the most part, they are self-sufficient, and a small dust mine provides them with an energy source."

"Stop looking at me," Weiss said to her teammates as the other three looked at her. "The SDC doesn't control every vein of dust in existence."

"Could have fooled me." Yang muttered under her breath.

"What do you mean by 'strange Grimm movement,' professor?" Ruby asked. "Grim usually roam around, so it wouldn't be strange for them to keep coming across a town, especially out in the middle of nowhere. Patch is like that, and we still get an occasional Grimm attack."

"Some of the villagers reported the Grimm were seen congregating in small groups." Ozpin explained.

"That's not that unusual," Weiss pointed out. "Many types of Grimm have a pack mentality."

"True, Miss Schnee," Glynda conceded. "The difference is _what they were doing_ when they congregated."

Ozpin slid a photo across his desk and the girls leaned forward to look at it.

Their mouths fell open.

"Are they forming a circle!?" Ruby cried out.

"And… praying?" Yang added and shared an incredulous look with her sister.

"This… I can't recall ever hearing about Grimm acting like this." Weiss added.

The picture was a little blurry, so whoever took it was probably shaking the camera, but the image was still decipherable. A dozen Grimm consisting of eight Beowolves and four Ursai were standing in a complete circle. That was the first thing that stood out. The second was the order the Grimm were placed. The four Ursai were evenly spaced in a circle, with two Beowolves between them. The third thing in that picture that confused everyone was the Grimm all seemed to be bowing with their front legs outstretched as, like Yang stated, if they were praying.

"What is that in the middle?" Blake asked, her eyes immediately focusing on the center of the circle. "It looks like a symbol of some kind."

"I was wondering the very same thing," Ozpin informed her. "It appears to be very similar to an ancient rune meaning; Unite."

"And the Grimm are worshipping it?" Ruby tilted her head in confusion. "But… But… Grimm don't have thoughts like that. Grimm are mindless monsters we fight to protect humanity!"

"Which leads us to question _why_ this picture shows differently," Glynda explained. "If this is a sign Grimm are able to achieve a higher level of consciousness, it could change the balance we currently have."

"Normally," Ozpin continued. "I would have had a few professional Huntsmen investigate, but then we found a second picture. Miss Schnee," he turned to Weiss. "Please tell me if you have ever seen or heard of a Beowolf in Atlas that resembles this picture."

He pushed a second photo toward her and she picked it up. Naturally, the rest of her team invaded her personal space to get a view.

"No," Weiss finally admitted, setting the picture down as Yang gave a low whistle.

The Beowolf in the photo was standing on its back legs with a claw sunk deep into a tree. At first, it resembled an alpha, with its body covered in bone. The main difference was what appeared to be several crystalline structures protruding from its back that resembled ice. Upon closer look, the bones were also covered by frost and the Beowolf's body seemed to be a little more muscular.

"You sure that's not a Grimm from up north?" Ruby asked. "I mean, it's covered in ice."

"It could have migrated down south from Atlas." Blake added reasonably.

"If the body was just covered in frost, maybe," Weiss admitted. "The ice in its back? It wasn't from an attack. It actually looks like it is growing out of it. Plus, the proportions are all wrong. The arms and legs are thicker, the neck longer. Something changed this Grimm…" She looked up. "Or it could be a new type."

"I would be of a similar opinion," Ozpin agreed. "If not for one other piece of information."

"What is it?" Ruby asked eagerly, bouncing in her chair in excitement. To her, this new Grimm meant a new challenge and a new chance to wipe evil from Remnant.

"I would rather the Huntsman who will be accompanying you be present, as he's the one who informed me."

"I really wish you trusted this assignment to someone a little more…"

"A little more what, Glynda?!"

Team RWBY turned around instantly as the door to Ozpin's office was kicked open and a scruffy looking older man burst in.

"…professional." Glynda finished, though her voice was immediately drowned out by Ruby.

"UNCLE QROW!"

Ruby shot forward and grabbed Qrow's arm. He didn't seem perturbed by her sudden display of affection. In fact, he raised his arm to lift her off the ground and then used his free hand to ruffle her hair.

"You miss me?" She asked.

"Nope."

This, of course, was an obvious lie to all of them and Ruby laughed.

"Don't tell me you're going to be tagging along?" Yang asked with a huge smile on her face.

"I'm going to be your chaperone to make sure you brats don't get into any trouble, firecracker." Ruby finally let go of Qrow as he made his way toward Ozpin's desk. "I really have better things to do than babysit, but I can't refuse a favor to Oz."

"Are you really… qualified?" Weiss asked, scanning him up and down in a clear display of uncertainty.

"Hey… you look familiar?" He leaned down to examine Weiss, he leaned back instinctively. "Ah, you must be the Ice Queen's little sister."

"Snk." Yang couldn't completely hide her laughter in time.

"Y-you know Winter?" Weiss sounded incredulous. "How would a… well-traveled person like you know her?" It was obvious she was trying to act diplomatically in front of Glynda and Ozpin.

"She and I go waaay back," Qrow confirmed with a smirk. "Including into a backroom of that bar that one time-…"

"Slander!" Weiss interrupted, her face growing red with a combination of rage and embarrassment. "There is no way Winter would ever partner with a drunken rapscallion like yourself."

"I think he's drunk now judging by the smell of alcohol." Blake added, covering her nose with her hand.

"He's always drunk." Glynda sighed. "His sobriety aside, Qrow is fully qualified to lead this mission."

"This…is… AWESOME!" Ruby cheered and high fived Yang.

"Just like old times," Yang added excitedly and then grew suspicious. "But why now, Uncle Qrow? This isn't like you to stick around that long."

Qrow didn't look happy about the comment, but quickly got over it.

She wasn't wrong.

"Let's just say this mission involves some of the stuff I've been dealing with lately." Qrow explained and leaned up against Ozpin's desk. "And it centers around your new friends' predicament."

"Sounds like you know about Touma's group then." Blake pointed out.

"Including the reforming ice cream midget," Qrow added. "But that's not important. What is important is what is causing these changes to the Grimm."

"You know what's causing this?" Weiss raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"I know _who's_ causing it, Mini Ice Queen-…"

"Hey!" Ruby and Yang started laughing.

"-…and it directly involves someone from those kids' world." Qrow finished, causing Yang and Ruby to grow quiet.

"How did you find this out?" Blake asked.

"I have my ways," Qrow said mysteriously. "But that's not important. Touma mentioned to us about how he and Accelerator were chasing down someone who kidnapped that little girl." He sighed and stood up straight. "Seems that guy crossed over to our world too. His power allows him to control water and ice and I personally witnessed him using it to control Grimm."

"What?!" None of the girls could believe what they heard.

"You understand why this is concerning," Glynda added. "With the appearance of this new Grimm, we have no choice but to determine this man named Wellen Fischer is behind it. Part of your assignment is to determine if he's in that area or if this Grimm is just an abounded specimen."

"Is there anything else you can tell us about this man?" Weiss asked. "Is his power the same as Accelerator's and Last Order's abilities, or is it different? While I found the knowledge of him actually being able to control Grimm, the past few days… have caused me to broaden my mind about what is possible."

"Wisdom is realizing there is always more to see and learn." Ozpin told her and she blushed slightly at the praise. "Sadly, there is not. The only reason we found out about this was Relotem request assistance due to them not having more than a small militia. They don't want to risk their safety with the possibility of a new type of Grimm."

"Hey!" Ruby suddenly spoke. "Touma and Accelerator fought him before, so maybe they know more about his power or what he could be up too!"

"That's… not a bad idea." Weiss admitted and then shared a look with Blake.

"I'm sure they will want to help," Blake added quickly. "Accelerator more out of revenge for him kidnapping Last Order-…"

"While Touma will want to help out just because." Yang finished. "Is it cool if we ask them for help or is this all hush hush?"

"Feel free to gather any information they are willing to give." Glynda answered. "Just make sure to reiterate that this mission is private. Officially, you are just going to the city to investigate possible Grimm activity."

"I actually have something better." Everyone in the room turned toward Qrow as he started walking to the door leading out of Ozpin's office. "Had a chance to investigate something I've been curious about and I think this will work out to our advantage, Oz."

"What do you have in mind?" Ozpin asked.

"This." Qrow opened the door, stepped out, then leaned over to the side and grabbed something. That _something_ turned out to be _someone._

A limp Touma was being dragged on the ground by his collar.

"Touma!" Ruby cried and zipped over to him. "What happened to him?"

"Relax, squirt," Qrow reassured her, aware of Blake and Yang getting up. "He's fine. We just had a talk, fought off some Grimm, and then found out this kid can't hold his alcohol. Like… at all."

"Qrow!" Glynda snapped her eyes widening. "Do you mean to tell me, you gave this underage boy alcohol!?"

"Didn't mean to tell you," Qrow admitted unabashed. "You just happened to be in the room, Glynda. Anyways, kid needed a drink. Sheesh, I know my flask has a kick, but he went down so fast."

"Hang on," Yang said slowly. "You actually let him drink from your flask?"

"He reminds me a lot of me when I was younger." Qrow confirmed.

Yang's and Ruby's mouths fell open. Surprisingly, even Ozpin looked stunned at the news.

"Is it really such a big deal?" Blake asked, snapping Yang back to reality.

"He doesn't even let dad touch that flask." Yang explained. "One time, dad took a drink when Qrow was distracted… they took out half the house."

"And Zwei's doghouse," Ruby added. "We made them sleep outside and Zwei got Qrow's bed until the repairs were finished."

"Man, Ruby can guilt trip the hell out of you." Qrow muttered.

"See!" Weiss declared triumphantly. "This degenerate can't be trusted with a task this important."

"Qrow…" Ozpin sighed before continuing. "Why?"

"I wanted to clarify a few things," Qrow said seriously. "Mainly about his ability and something I noticed. We shouldn't have any issue with… the normal reason I work alone. So, I've been thinking, let's bring the kid along."

"What?!" Weiss and Glynda cried out.

"Cool!" Yang cheered.

"You're the best!" Ruby added. Blake remained silent, but tilted her head to the side. Glynda rubbed the bridge of her nose as a massive headache started to form and then she glanced at Ozpin for help.

"Explain your reasoning." Ozpin said at last.

"I got to witness his passive Grimm repellent." Qrow obliged. "And he's fought Wellen before, so I'm perfectly happy to have him along. Even if we just leave him in the city, it's guaranteed to prevent the Grimm from entering. Besides, if they do emerge from the forest to see him, it makes our job a lot easier."

"I can't condone this," Glynda said to Ozpin. "Sending someone without Aura into Grimm infested territory."

"We sent Accelerator to the breach." Ozpin pointed out.

"You know he's a special case," Glynda retorted. "And it was an emergency."

"One could make the argument that this is an emergency," Ozpin commented and then took a sip of his coffee. "Qrow… I'll let him accompany you-…"

"YES!" Ruby and Yang cheered.

"-…on the condition he is willing when he is… more alert than he is now."

"Doubt he will say no." Qrow replied with a smirk. Glynda facepalmed but she would accept Ozpin's decision.

"You hear that?!" Ruby celebrated happily and started shaking Touma. "You get to come up with us on a mission! Isn't that awesome!"

"Ugh…Ruby?" Touma seemed to come too while being shaken violently. "Hey… why are there three of you…?"

"You might not want to shake a drunk guy like that, kiddo."

Qrow tried to warn Ruby as Touma turned green. Ruby's face turned white when she realized what was about to happen and vanished in a blur of petals as Touma lost the contents of his stomach.

"EEE!"

"Looks like we have another Vomit Boy in our midst." Yang declared, while immediately taking a step back. No way was she going to lose another pair of shoes.

"Are you happy he's coming along?" Weiss asked Blake under her breath.

"I think he will be fine," Blake admitted. "As long as their uncle stops being a bad influence." Her eyes darted over to Weiss. "Would you prefer Accelerator to come along?" Weiss's lips tightened and she averted her eyes. A beeping sound echoed in the office and Glynda swiped her tablet. When she saw what the alert was about, her eyes widened.

"QROW!" She thundered and everyone jumped. "Would you care to explain what happened to the initiation ledge?"

"What about it?" Qrow asked with fake innocence. "You mean the party?"

"Why is there a sinkhole where the cliff used to be?!" Glynda demanded. "Along with roughly fifty Grimm corpses. After you explain that to me, you can finish off by telling me why the forest is on fire."

"It was a hell of a party," Qrow reminisced. "Told you the kid needed a drink."

* * *

Neo was, predictably, bored.

There was practically nothing for her to do. She couldn't go off on her own, though she violated that a lot. It was more of an excuse to follow people around and not have them able to retaliate. Once Blake got away from her, she fell back into the bored stupor. Touma was out getting her stuff, something she had to thank him for. That occupied a few minutes as she thought of ways to embarrass him. It wasn't her fault. She just really thought he was cute when he couldn't take her antics. Accelerator wasn't much of a talker, but neither was she. They got along well enough. Last Order would keep pestering her to do stuff with her normally, but she was out with Ruby. Neo had seen them leaving the school grounds.

So when there was a knock on her door, she raced to open it.

"Ah! Neo, hi?" The awkward blonde boy Jaune stood before her holding several bags of ice cream. "Touma had to stop at Ozpin's office and asked me to bring you these."

Her eyes lit up and she pulled him into the room. With a quick gesture letting him know to put the ice cream in the freezer, she bolted toward her bedside table and rummaged around for a bowl and spoon.

"You really like this brand?" Jaune tried to strike up a conversation and glanced back at Neo. She nodded in response. "Never heard of it."

' _It's from Mistral,'_ Neo typed out for him. _'Ask your partner the next time you two are doing it.'_ She made a ring out of her index finger and thumb with one hand. Then she took her other hand holding the tablet and stuck one free finger through the ring.

"W-we aren't like that!?" Jaune protested, turning beet red. "We are just partners and she's like an older sister to me! She really helped me out a lot since I arrived at Beacon."

' _But do you want to be more? She's pretty hot.'_ Neo licked her lips for added effect.

Jaune started stuttering and Neo was enjoying herself. She didn't hate Jaune. He was honestly a nice guy and hadn't done anything wrong. Well, except for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This was Neo's source of entertainment and she loved to gossip. If Jaune had feelings for Pyrrha, she would _accidently_ bring it up. Seriously, some of the denseness between the groups made her want to slam her head on the table.

"Eh... well… Pyrrha is very p-pretty…. I got to go!" He rushed for the door and Neo briefly thought about tripping him. "I'll catch you later."

Neo watched the door slam shut behind him and her smile fell off her face. She made sure the door was locked and then rummaged through the freezer, pulling out a container of her favorite Ice Cream.

Neopolitan

If anyone laughed, she would stab them.

She had done that before, multiple times. People learned not to laugh.

After the bowl was full with the delicious treat, Neo jumped on her bed and took a bite. Her cheeks flushed as the deliciousness spread through her taste buds. This brand of ice cream was far superior to every other brand supermarkets could supply. Only handmade ice cream could beat it.

 _Maybe I should see if Touma could make some? He did say he was used to cooking._

She finished her bowl in minutes and then went back for seconds. About halfway through digging out enough to fill her bowl again, her spoon hit something hard. Neo smirked and dug around the object before pulling it out. In her hand was a small device similar to a scroll but could only send and receive short messages. There was a message waiting for her.

 _Everything good?_

 _Exactly as planned,_ Neo answered. Untraceable and untrackable through the CCT system, no one at Beacon would know she was still in communication with Roman. He was, after all, the closest thing to family she had. With her skill, the device will never be found either. When her time at Beacon was finished, she would rejoin him.

With _all_ her belongings.

* * *

"Neo cemented her place in Beacon." Roman announced to Cinder, while Emerald and Mercury listened in.

"Excellent job, Roman," Cinder congratulated. "Having someone on the inside will greatly aid us." She smiled. "Ozpin's eyes will be on her, which will let us slip in unnoticed."

"We still got to kill a few days before we move in," Mercury pointed out. "This doesn't leave us much time to find a fourth team member."

"I have someone in mind," Cinder stated and her eyes darted toward him. "So that base is covered. We can make up that he has family issues which delayed his departure."

"You mean I won't be able to get in?" Roman asked sarcastically and leaned on his cane. "I could change my outfit to something less fashionable and wear some sunglasses. No one would be able to tell."

"HAHAHA!" Emerald burst out laughing. "There's a better chance of Mercury and I hooking up than that working."

"I assumed you two have," Roman said without missing a beat. "All that noise coming from the other room. Wasn't he giving it to you good?"

"You know it." Mercury gave him a thumbs up.

"Asshole!" Emerald cried and threw a book at Mercury's head. "My body and soul belongs to Cinder-…"

"Kinky." Mercury interjected.

"…so there's no way I would go with a jerk like him." Emerald finished. "He's childish, rude, and overall useless."

"Coming from-…" Mercury started to snap back.

"Enough!" Cinder cut off the argument. "I put up with enough of your bickering tonight." She turned to Roman. "There's nothing to do now but wait for the next opportunity and Adam's forces to reorganize. It is prudent to keep our head down at this time, but I do have something important for you to do."

"Oh?" Roman raised an eyebrow. "The most wanted man in Beacon just roaming around is sure to draw attention, you know? And I'm not talking about because I'm the most eligible Bachler, which I still am. I checked."

"This task is outside the city," Cinder assured him. "One of my contacts informed me someone was digging deep into Merlot Industries and discovered something… juicy. Rather than having you sit around here doing nothing, you would be more useful if you go and check out what they found and bring it back to me."

"Might be a little tough without Neo." Roman muttered.

"The White Fang will give you some support." Cinder reassured him.

"And I just washed the animal smell out of my jacket." Roman huffed.

"As for you two," Cinder continued, addressing Mercury and Emerald. "I trust you can stay out of trouble?" Her eyes flashed.

"Of course." Emerald agreed immediately.

"No sweat, boss." Mercury said.

"Good." She crossed her fingers together and turned to Roman. "This boy, Touma Kamijou. Tell me again, how much does he know about us?"

"Nothing," Roman recited. "He saw Adam once, but not you three. This could be a boon for us though."

"Oh?" It was Cinder's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Neo knows who you are," Roman explained. "But she's a professional. There won't be a single hint she does. If you want to approach her for information, I suggest getting chummy with the boy. He's pretty trusting, so I doubt it would be hard. Plus, he's never had a girlfriend, so I'm sure he would be eager to spend time with an attractive female."

"Looks like only Cinder can do that then." Mercury said instantly, causing Emerald to punch him in the shoulder.

"Ozpin is sure to be watching him though," Cinder mused. "I like the idea though. Instead, I want information on which team the boy is in contact with the most. They are the ones we will befriend. It's more suspicious for a team to isolate themselves. If we are social, we hide among the sheep."

"Glad to be of assistance." Roman gave a low bow. "Now, about this mission of mine. Am I actually going to get some information on it, or am I expected to go in blind?"

"Emerald," Cinder commanded. "Go get the file we recovered. Mercury, get rid of the body."

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish to ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter. All mistakes are SilverFang88's fault. She was goofing off at some convention and I had to get others to stop in and help.**

 **SF88: Fuck you Dark, I'm busy this time of year. I hardly have time to write myself and it's only gonna get worse once December hits.**

 **DB: He works for UPS everyone.**


	26. Welcoming Parties

**This chapter is out a little earlier than recent updates due to having some free time and more motivation. I'm moving away from the slice of life into actually plot at last. Sometimes, this story feels a little slow, but a lot of stuff has happened and it takes a little time for people to get around, learning about each other, and discover what the opposing forces are doing. I think I'm going to wait for a good spot to end the chapter, season, volume, whatever you want to call it to submit the updated list of ship names. I figured it would be like an intermission type chapter since it's getting kind of long. Might have to remove a few to make space for the better ones. Who knows, maybe the next few chapters will inspire some new ones. Let's get viewer responses out of the way and then onto the main story. I am sorry I didn't expand on drunk Touma. It seems a lot of you would have liked to see that.**

 **ChancePluto: Making a character drunk is kind of lazy writing. It's got to be at the right time for maximum effect. The vomit scene was sort of the end result. Maybe another time, like when he goes to visit the twins.**

 **WinkinsLite: Qrow's and Touma's conversation was a lot of fun to write. Two misfortunate people from different worlds can understand each other.**

 **Awardedall: Well, that's going to have to wait a few chapters. They kind of got split up.**

 **Grendel3130: That's… pretty interesting.**

 **Ahsoei: Kind of? It's a little different then the game, since I only have a very brief understanding of that game. Of course, Glynda. Beacon's resident babysitter.**

 **guerilla sam: Yeah, they shouldn't stick together too much.**

 **TheLastSterling: Obviously, Touma redeems Roman and he acts as their chaperone on dangerous missions for a four man team. No, completely separate.**

 **Jujudude: Thanks.**

 **Guest: Sorry, I have no set schedule. Some weeks I can pump out words, others I barely write.**

 **Gamecubenut: Been debating how exactly that would work. You will have to find out.**

 **Guest: Last Order could give that excuse, but knowing how and actually doing it is completely different. Her size compared to the others would also affect the outcome. Accelerator wasn't there when Neo got the device. She's also a professional. Accelerator might have a chance to notice Cinder. It's a bluff vs sense motive check.**

 **Fernandamichelleraya: Not Qrow's fault. It's not his office. Jaune always acted as the glue between people. He helped Ruby come out of her shell. He helped Pyrrha interact with the rest of the team. It's what he does. I feel a little bad for Jaune. Helping his crush get with another man. At least this way, Arkos can move out. I have a lot of fun with Qrow. He's a complicated character. He's a professional and skilled, but likes to drink and make fun of people.**

 **DD soul: Manly fist bumps.**

 **Mr. X: 1) Maybe. 2) I had to look that up, but yes. 3) Sadly, yes. I couldn't find a canon character to fill that spot that would work except Bartholomew. Didn't want to use him again.**

 **vietnamese guy: It will be good while it last. She is pretty…** _ **insert Yang here**_ **… smoking!**

 **Guest: I doubt it. Too many characters already. Don't want to throw a bunch more into Remnant. Aleister wouldn't let that happen anymore.**

 **WiliamZ0: Eh, I need a kick in the butt sometimes. He's the son Qrow always wanted with Summer. I don't hate Index, I just don't like her as a romantic partner. Too easy. If he's getting drunk, he has to be surrounded by girls. Both missions happen at the same time and will be split up. A lot easier on me to focus on a smaller group. I'm going to make sure to note that name issue. Glynda could clean up that mess in an instant. Maiden vs IB? Sounds fun. Roman's a good guy. Accelerator will let him go.**

 **JumpingToaster: If another character does show up, it will be much later in the story. Most likely, it would be a small group to help get them back home. Oh god, Mikoto getting lectured about shocking people. Hunters are scrutinized a lot because they have powers normal civilians don't have. Abuse of Aura could get them locked up. There is Emerald and her Semblance. I'll hit certain points in canon, like the dance, but a lot of it will be completely new. Nora would own Mikoto. Pyrrha might actually like leaning how to maximize her magnetism.**

 **Kingofclubs8129: Touma would love the hot older woman. Now, how to turn her good would be the question.**

 **Guest: Can't have the dragon king show up ALL the time. Rarely, but makes a spectacular entrance. People seem to be divided in half on Mikoto. They either want her, or don't want her.**

 **Guest: Touma just has to convince Tai that he would be a good partner for Ruby.**

 **TheCasualReader: That episode WROTE the ending of this story. I now know exactly how it will all end.**

 **CyrusDiamon: Thanks.**

 **LL: Cinder wouldn't be afraid to show some skin. Blake and Ruby… not so much. Cinder? Mikoto wouldn't go for the kill and Cinder has a lot more combat experience. Touma might even… lose an arm.**

 **AMTT94: Watching RWBY helps a lot with the inside jokes. Awakening could happen, depend how I want to have the healing affect him in the long run. Maybe he just needs the right kind of push. Penny will return, her fate though is uncertain. He will tell them a little, but he's not the most talkative. I plan to have Touma and someone talk a bit about that. Touma's not really one to know about politics. He did tell Blake about Skill-Out. Culture would be fun. "Hey, you know cat girls are huge in Japan?" Aiwass would troll them like that. Probably tell them he wants cake and make them get him tons for no reason.**

 **Kami: That's cool. They are kind of different.**

 **Guest13: You will have to wait and see.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

"We're going on a mission! We're going on a mission!" Nora sung while skipping around the rest of the Team JNPR and Accelerator as they waited for Eliza and the Bullhead. Monday had finally arrived and the sun was just beginning to rise.

"We've been on one before." Ren pointed out plainly.

"Yeah, but this one is to help a friend too!" Nora gestured to Accelerator. "Huh." She put a finger to her cheek in thought. "Since we are gathering information, doesn't that mean we are spies?" Her eyes widened. "Ooo! We need code names!"

"What were you thinking?" Ren asked, humoring her.

"I'll be… Sloth Queen!" Nora declared. "And you will be Pancake Lord. Jauney will be… Blood Jaune. Striking fear into all of our enemies!"

"Isn't that too close to my name?" Jaune protested. "My name's actually in there."

"True," Nora conceded. "That defeats the purpose of code names. Fearless Leader won't work, as we don't want the enemy to know who is in charge."

"What about me?" Pyrrha asked. Nora went silent for a moment.

"Titania."

"Titania?" Pyrrha repeated. "How did you come up with that?"

"I don't know, you just seem like a Titania."

"Best not to ask." Ren advised.

"And Accelerator is Sky Bomber." Nora finished. Accelerator actually looked over at them at this, earning chuckles from Jaune and Pyrrha.

"I'm going to regret asking this," Accelerator muttered. "Why?"

"Because you're part of our group, silly!" Nora walked over and touched her finger to his nose. "Boop!"

She was probably the only one in the world besides Last Order who had to guts to try something like that.

"I think he was referring to the name." Pyrrha explained.

"Oh!" Nora laughed. "That's because during the Breach he flew down from the sky and blew everything up."

Accelerator blinked, shrugged, and looked back down at his Scroll.

He had more important things to worry about than Team JNPR's shenanigans. They were a little annoying, but he found out he didn't mind them as much as he used to. Nora always seemed to be trying to include him as one of her friends.

"I think he likes it." Ren pointed out with a small chuckle.

* * *

"Okay, Team RWBY plus T," Ruby announced, standing in front of the others. "As you know, we have an important mission led by the coolest uncle ever-…"

"Where is he anyways?" Blake asked.

"Recovering from a hangover, most likely." Weiss sniffed indignantly.

"Probably," Yang agreed and laughed. "That's our Uncle."

"It wasn't a compliment." Weiss huffed. "How that ruffian could be a Hunter is beyond me."

"From what I can recall, he's pretty skilled." The group turned to look at Touma. "He took on around… like fifty Grimm without breaking a sweat. I think? Wasn't exactly all there."

"I'm still curious as to how you managed to end up in that situation." Blake commented. "You didn't seem like a drinker like one of our teammates."

Her eyes darted to Yang, who didn't miss it.

"What's that look supposed to mean?"

No one answered, though Weiss did roll her eyes.

"Yeah!" Ruby exclaimed as she bolted in front of him before pushed a finger into his chest. "So, mister, tell us how you and Uncle Qrow met. He only told us that you two partied and you couldn't hold your alcohol."

"She's wanted to question you about that all day yesterday." Yang explained when Touma looked surprised. "However, with you having a hangover that morning and then the incident at lunch…"

* * *

Even Neo didn't mess with him Sunday morning, when he was stuck in bed with a massive hangover.

Touma had alcohol a few times, but that was the first time he had ever gotten that smashed. Remnant's alcohol must be stronger than his world's to affect Hunters. That or it was just Qrow's specific stash. Either way, he had been out of it. It wasn't until nearly 11am that he finally dragged himself out of bed and down to the cafeteria. The others joined him soon after with Neo typically poking his cheek to see how bad he still was.

This was when the problem started.

Nora tossed a pea at Yang, who flicked it back at her. It bounced off Nora's forehead and rebounded into Neo's eye. Not taking that lying down, Neo flipped her pudding, not at Nora, but Yang. The dessert got into her hair and everyone froze. Yang's hair began to stand on end, flames began to form, and her eyes flashed crimson.

Things went downhill rapidly from there.

Everyone scrambled away as Yang flipped the table to get at Neo. Touma was the closest to react and, as the table was flipping over, he knocked his plate of pasta with his elbow. That single nudge added to the force of the spinning table, caused the dish to fly through the air and land in the lap of a certain girl with a brand new outfit. Marinara sauce covered everything.

Coco Adel was not happy.

Beacon's last food fight was nothing compared to this one.

* * *

"I still want to know how Coco set up her gun to shoot green beans like bullets." Touma muttered.

"Beacon teaches us to be prepared for anything." Weiss stated matter-of-factly. "And I suppose our last food fight caused some people to take precautions with us around."

"Goodwitch looked like she was going to pop a blood vessel." Yang said with a laugh, thought it wasn't funny at the time. The doors to the cafeteria had slammed open and the professor stepped in. The fight had died instantly.

"I was pretty sure she we were about to get a year's worth of detention." Blake stated.

"We probably were," Weiss agreed. "If we didn't have this important mission coming up."

"Jaune and I were able to convince Goodwitch our teams were jumpy about them." Ruby bragged again for the dozenth time. "And things just spiraled out of control from nerves."

It ended with them cleaning up the cafeteria again, under Glynda's direct supervision. That had taken pretty much the entire day and then they had to finish packing and get to bed. Waking up early wasn't something any of them liked, except maybe Ruby.

"I've come up with worse excuses to my teachers." Touma added. "Mine isn't as strict as Professor Goodwitch, but she has the uncanny ability to make us feel guilty if we do something wrong. I miss class way more than I should due to… various circumstances."

"Like falling into another dimension?" Blake asked, her lips twitching.

"I'm glad it's summer break or I would be so screwed when I get back." Touma sighed.

"If you get back." Yang pointed out.

"YANG!" Ruby, Weiss, and Blake snapped.

"Geez, I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Touma brushed off her apology. "We already know it may be impossible to go back and I'm sure some people back home are looking for me. For all I know, they discovered the magic that sent us here."

"Still, it was insensitive," Weiss said. Yang gaped at her silently and then gestured at her in disbelief to Blake, who was not smirking at her partner.

"So will you finally tell me how you know our uncle?" Ruby asked, hastily changing the subject.

"Well…" Touma paused as he racked his brain. He promised Qrow he wouldn't mention the misunderstanding at the bar. Kind of. Close enough for him. "He heard about my situation from Ozpin and wanted to check it out for himself." He shrugged. "We moved to the edge of the forest away from anyone listening in and I guess there was a rockslide of some kind? Part of the cliff gave way and attracted some Grimm. That was the party he was talking about."

The only one who looked like they knew he was hiding something was Blake, and all she did was raise an eyebrow.

"Wait, how did you get drunk then?" Weiss interjected.

"Before he attacked the Grimm he tossed me the flask and said I could use a drink." This was true, just a slightly different order of events. "We talked about a few things."

"Luuucky!" Ruby moaned in jealousy. "He normally never lets anyone touch his flask."

"Ruby kept trying to get at it when she was little…. Well littler than she is now-…" Yang started to say.

"Hey!"

"And we finally got tired of keeping an eye on her, so we filled it up with milk," Yang continued. "For years she thought that's why he was so strong."

"Hmph." Ruby crossed her arms grumpily.

"I still want to know what you two talked about that warranted him bringing a civilian on a mission." Weiss thought out loud. "No offense," she added quickly, looking at Touma. "I don't see why he wouldn't be fine with just asking you specifics about this man, Wellen's power. Did he suggest it for the laughs?"

"I wouldn't put him past him." Yang added reasonably, which didn't improve Weiss's opinion of Qrow.

"None taken," Touma reassured her. "I didn't expect him to take me either." This was actually a lie, he had a good idea why Qrow wanted him there. If Touma negated his bad luck every day, Qrow could spend time with his nieces without risking his Semblance kicking in. "As I said, we only talked about a few things before the Grimm showed up."

"What was he asking you about?" Blake prompted.

"Er… I think he just wanted to verify what I told Ozpin." Touma made up quickly. It was kind of true, though it went in a vastly different direction. "He's actually surprisingly sharp for being drunk. I could smell the alcohol on him when we met."

"He's pretty amazing," Ruby agreed. "I told you he taught me how to use the scythe, remember?" A huge grin was plastered on her face at the memory. "He even teaches at Signal, Yang's and my previous school before Beacon."

"That guy… a teacher?!" Disbelief was etched upon Weiss's face.

"Hunters come in all shapes and sizes," Yang said with a laugh and put her arm around Ruby. "You should know that, Weiss Cream."

"Agh, don't say that insufferable nickname when we arrive at Relotem. We want them to at least think we are professional."

"How could a group of brats make so much noise?!" An annoyed voice interrupted their conversation. Everyone turned to see Qrow walking towards them. His hands were in his pocket, his sword on his back, and leaning forward slightly. "I could hear you babbling from across the courtyard." His eyes darted toward their packs on the ground. "At least you're packed. Load up and let's get going. Time's a wastin'."

As he talked, the Bullhead landed.

"I can't wait!" Ruby cheered, grabbing her back and virtually skipping with excitement. "My first mission with Uncle Qrow! I've been dreaming of this day!"

"Yeah, yeah, Squirt," Qrow muttered affectionately. "Get going; daylight's burning."

Blake and Weiss grabbed their bags without another word, while Yang high fived Qrow before following them. Touma hesitated a moment and opened his mouth to ask Qrow if it was a smart idea to bring him along. Instead, he felt a hand press into his back and Qrow shoved him.

"Get going. We can talk later."

"Sure thing."

The two guys followed the girls into the back of the Bullhead. As everyone started fastening themselves in, Qrow walked up and opened the door to the pilot's cabin to have a quick word. Less than a minute later, the Bullhead began to rumble as the engines powered up. Qrow exited the cabin, plopped down in his seat, and looked at the others.

"Okay, brats, listen up." The amount of respect for them made Weiss's eyes narrow, but no one else reacted to it. Ruby and Yang knew him the best, Blake didn't care, and Touma's brief encounter was enough for him to realize he just liked being a dick. "When we land, the plan is to meet up with the mayor, go through the boring process of introducing ourselves, blah, blah, blah. After that, we will talk with a few people who might have information on where to start looking. Besides that, only give out information on a need to know. Our priority is to investigate and if needed eliminate the new Grimm, not cause a panic. All the stuff we talked about in Oz's office, keep it to yourself. Any questions?"

"I got one!" Weiss stated immediately.

"None, great."

"W-what?!" Weiss stammered indignantly while Yang and Ruby tried to hide their laughter.

"This is my first time with you guys officially." Touma pointed out. He wasn't counting the time he rescued Blake, the time he rescued Ruby, or the time he sealed off the breach long enough for support to come. "What exactly do you want me to do?"

"Excellent question," Qrow agreed. "Glad at least one of you brats is thinking ahead." Weiss was looking absolutely livid, while Yang and Ruby were desperately trying and failing to stifle their laughter. The corner of Blake's mouth was twitching upwards. "From what I know, your hand keeps Grimm away at a certain point, but they seem attracted to your presence. However, based on Barty's report about Mt. Glenn, being in one place too long creates a stacking affect that slowly pushes the Grimm away. No idea why, so don't waste my time. The best course of action will be to have two groups. Group One will be with me. We will be the scouting team. Group Two will be stationed at the city. Kid," he pointed to Touma. "Group Two. If Group One does something stupid and rile up the Grimm, your power might prevent them from invading."

"I don't think it would be that quick," Admitted Touma. "But sure."

"Need someone else to stay back," Qrow continued. "The village is mostly Faunus, so having Ice Queen stay won't be the best choice."

"Hey!"

"I'll stay behind," Blake volunteered, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Yang. _Ruby wants to go with both her uncle and Touma. This way, she won't have to make that tough decision. Weiss can't stay behind. While I'm sure she can keep her composure, the SDC really has a bad reputation with Faunus._ She was guilty of the same thing at first. _I'm going to have to put up with Yang, even if I point it out this way she can go with Ruby and Qrow._

"The rest of you will be with me then." Qrow confirmed. "Communications will be spotty, but call in if you two run into trouble." He leaned back in the chair after taking a swig from his flask. "We got half a day to kill, so I'm taking a nap. Don't wake me unless this Bullhead's going down."

"Waah!" Ruby exclaimed. "You can't sleep yet. You got to tell me all about your adventures and I got stories to tell you about Beacon!"

"In a bit," Qrow muttered. "Not use to waking up this early with a hangover."

"Are you sure we're going to be okay with this guy?" Weiss asked the others.

"He's just like this," Yang answered again. "His skills are real and Ozpin trusts him. Give him a chance."

"I've been trying," Weiss huffed. "It's just every action of his is so insufferable. I asked Winter about him last night and it was the first time I heard such a… colorful vocabulary from her."

"You were kind of insufferable when we first met," Blake reminded her. "Then Ruby tore down your walls."

"Same could be said about you." Weiss retorted and Blake grew quiet. Yang frowned at Weiss, who looked slightly guilty. A quick cough interrupted them and the three turned to Touma, who was looking away embarrassed. He didn't want to listen in on something that was obviously personal.

"Right…" Yang quickly changed the subject. "So, Touma, you excited to join us?"

"Excited may not be the exact word." Touma admitted. "Just worried about what Wellen Fischer is planning. I'm not an expert on his magic. All I know is it focuses around water and ice."

"Then if we encounter this man," Weiss muttered. "I should avoid using Ice Dust." She rubbed her chin. "We really should talk about what this Grimm could be or the…rituals being perform." She looked over at Qrow, who was snoring slightly with Ruby pushing against his arm. "Our chaperone doesn't seem to care much."

"He's transforming them somehow," Blake agreed. "The questions are why and how."

"From what I experienced with magicians," Touma explained. "Magic is based on a set of beliefs. Normally, a friend of mine who specializes in it usually explains the specifics. There are rules and laws centered on using magic. Accelerator and I interrupted a large ritual that would have engulfed a city. I think I touched a main component during the fight and that's what flung us here."

"You said he was trying to become a god, right?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah. He might be trying to do that here too. Rules might be different on Remnant."

"So he's _testing the waters_?" Yang asked and everyone stared at her, even Ruby. "You all suck."

"It might help if we knew more about the Grimm," Blake commented. "People can't even agree on their history."

"All I know is they are supernatural." Touma said with a shrug. "That and what you and Ozpin have all told me. My hand wouldn't work otherwise. Dust and Aura too."

"It doesn't work on Faunus either," Blake added softly. "I wish that information could be spread around."

"Probably wouldn't change some people's minds," Weiss admitted. "There are some very hardcore conservatives back home who don't like them at all."

Blake pressed her lips together tightly to avoid saying anything rash. She knew Weiss wasn't like some of the other members of her family, and she did accept her. The issue was Weiss looked at a lot of things from a business standpoint, rather than an ethical one. Wages for Faunus only increased at the SDC because of pressure from outside groups. Even then, they were usually given the most dangerous jobs. Some businesses didn't even hire Faunus, which eventually forced them to work there.

"Same thing back home," Touma agreed. "There are some people who just look down at others and it's hard to change their minds. Doesn't mean we stop trying."

"Right." Blake actually smiled and Yang took notice.

"So while we are trampling through the forest," Yang accused, though her tone was one of amusement, not jealousy. "You two are going to stay in town and get cozy, talking about how to improve life? Maybe some hands on activities?"

"You caught us," Blake confirmed and turned to Touma. "I told you she would find out."

"It was the only way we could get some alone time with Neo always around." Touma pointed out.

The Bullhead went silent.

"What?!" Ruby, Weiss, and Yang shouted, causing Qrow to stir.

"Obviously, it's…" Blake trailed off when Touma looked away and covered his mouth to stop the laughter, but he failed miserably. The corners of Blake's mouth also twitched and she involuntarily let out a chuckle.

"That was a joke?" Ruby asked, sounding relieved.

"Wha…? How….? You got me." Yang relented. "Did you plan that ahead of time?"

"Blake mentioned you would say something like that at some point." Touma confessed. "I was just supposed to play along."

Blake nodded smugly at Yang.

It felt good giving a Yang a taste of her own medicine.

"Nearly gave me a heart attack there," Weiss muttered and then flushed before quickly adding. "Not that you're a bad person, Touma. Blake just takes time to warm up to people."

"What about you?!" Ruby cried out.

"WHY ARE YOU ALL SO LOUD!?" Qrow thundered.

* * *

"Why does it have to be flying?" Jaune moaned.

"Hunter with motion sickness," Eliza commented, highly amused. "Never thought I would see the day. Better suck it up and get over it. Bullheads are the optimal way to travel for a lot of missions. Trains can't go everywhere."

"I… know…hck."

"When we arrive, we are going to make a quick stop and check in with local security." Eliza addressed everyone else.

"Why?" Accelerator asked. "Wasn't the point to keep everything on the down low?"

"We are and that is why we are following standard protocol." Eliza explained. "Whenever a normal civilian goes on extended trips outside the normal Kingdom boundaries, you notify the nearest settlement so they can register your departure. Any of you know why?"

"I do," Pyrrha answered. "They want to know _who_ leaves that way, if…they don't come back, it's easier to contact family and the official records department. If someone leaves without registering, no one would know if they are in or outside the kingdom. People can go missing without Grimm being responsible."

"It's not pleasant," Eliza admitted. "But it limits missing person reports. People who sneak out can draw more attention if they return injured. How do you think a town would react if a bunch of identified people came out of the Wilds without being registered."

"Wanted criminals or individuals doing illegal or at least questionable things." Ren guessed.

"Precisely. It's suspicious and there will be investigations and higher levels of scrutiny."

"But our mission is top secret, right?" Nora protested. "So we can't tell them why we are going out there."

"Of course not." Eliza smiled. "Our cover story is that I'm investigating a lead on some possible ruins. Since the trip is short, it was the perfect opportunity for a beacon assignment. You four have your _first_ mission protecting me." She patted a gun on her hip. "Though, I've pretty capable in a scrap myself." Her eyes fell onto Accelerator. "I said it before, I'm not sure what all we are going to find down there. Could be a waste of time. I'm hoping at the very least we get acquire Merlot Industry documents on where other labs are located."

"Figures," Accelerator huffed. "Nothing is ever easy. It's when things are going smoothly you know everything is beginning to unravel."

"Kind of cynical, aren't you?" Eliza asked and raised an eyebrow.

"Realist, lady. I know how the world works. Remnant is not much different from Earth."

"He's just worried about leaving Last Order with Neo." Nora reassured Eliza.

"Ah, I have heard about those two. A former criminal and a little girl trapped in a world with monsters."

"She's adjusted fairly well." Pyrrha said. "I don't think she's seen a Grimm besides in pictures."

"And I'm going to keep it that way." Accelerator muttered curtly.

"And I'm going to try to help you all get home," Eliza told him. "So no need to get snappy at me." Accelerator turned away. He never apologized, but he at least looked like he regretted his actions. Or, at the very least, as close to regretful as someone like him could seem. "So tell me about yourselves," she said looking at each other. "We're going to be stuck with each other for a bit, so might as well get to know each other. I've told you a little about me already, but I'm also married with two kids, one boy and one girl, age eight and fourteen."

"Ren and I are both are only the children of our families." Nora volunteered. "Are your kids cute?"

"Adorable," Eliza laughed. "I should have brought pictures."

"I'm an only child too," Pyrrha said. "Having a big family sounds lovely."

"…it's not all fun and games!" Jaune called out weekly from his corner.

"And our Fearless Leader has seven sisters." Nora informed Eliza.

"Seven?! His mother must have been busy."

"Don't want to imagine that right now!" Jaune was already green enough.

Accelerator tuned them out after that.

The conversation there didn't concern him. Instead, the most prominent thought on his mind was how the brat was after being put under the watchful eye of Glynda. He had no idea how good she was with children and then immediately disregarded the fact. Anyone was probably better than him in that regard. Without the Kiharas or Academy City after the girl, she was probably the safest she's ever been. Unless the Grimm actually managed to swarm Beacon, there wasn't much opportunity for her to get injured. Accelerator was also suspicious about Ozpin. There was something... off about him that he couldn't place. He didn't seem evil per se, but he definitely knew more than he let on.

Then there was Neo.

Accelerator still didn't completely trust her. His threat seemed to work and she never involved Last Order in any of her revenge pranks against Yang or Blake. For the most part, she really seemed to be trying to escape from crime. Her personality was just annoying to a lot of people. Accelerator could actually relate to this. Due to his past and what he had gone through, he understood wanting to change, but also the difficulty in actually doing so. Being isolated most of his life once his ability developed caused him to never have the opportunity to interact normally with other kids. With only adults who always had ulterior motives around him, he naturally developed an untrusting personality. It's why, while he knew Jaune's team didn't have any reason to betray him, he was still emotionally distant and guarded.

 _Maybe I should try to be a little open and see where that goes?_

"Hey Accelerator!" Nora called out, jolting him back to his surroundings.

"What?"

"145 times 23?"

"3335," Accelerator replied automatically and then scowled slightly. "Why are you asking me math problems?"

They must have changed topics while he was zoned out.

"Told you," Nora said smugly to Eliza. "He's some kind of genius. He already understands Dust from what Weiss mentioned."

"That is impressive." Eliza admitted.

"From what he and Last Order told us," Ren explained. "The abilities, while similar on the outside to our Semblances in terms of providing some kind of power, are different fundamentally. Which is to be expected. They have to calculate advanced mathematical formulas to use their abilities, while ours is more on an instinctual basis."

"Pretty much," Accelerator confirmed and it was hard for him to follow his own advice. This was a chance for him to be a little more open. "Academy City uses a variety of drugs, surgeries, and even music to stimulate the brain's development. Even a weak ability still takes calculations normal people would find tedious..."

Eliza turned out to be deeply interested in how his ability worked. While Accelerator could explain it in basic terminology for Academy City, it was much more difficult to explain it to someone from an entirely different world. Their knowledge was on Dust and Aura, less on biological brain functions. There were completely difficult rules on operations. Remnant, while having their own power suits and automated defense systems, were far behind Academy City's standards. Normally he found explaining stuff like this to be tedious. This time was different. Maybe it was because he honestly knew these five people in front of him weren't just pretending to be interested. They had no stake in his future, yet they were willing to help him.

It felt… pleasant. Something he wasn't used to.

"We'll be landing in five," Eliza suddenly announced, after she finished speaking to the pilot. "Seatbelts."

"Huh?" Accelerator was surprised. The ride was supposed to be around four hours. _We're here already?_

"Finally," Nora agreed and stretched her arms. "I can finally get up and walk around. I hate being cramped up in these small spaces."

"Finally." Jaune agreed, in a completely different tone. He was leaning up against the wall. His eyes were closed and his face was slightly green. Nora's voice was excited and full toned, while Jaune's was merely a whisper. Motion sickness was bad for him, but at least he wasn't throwing up everywhere.

"I have to admit," Pyrrha added. "Even though I knew this would be a long flight, I was getting a little stir crazy."

"I usually take the time to practice meditation." Ren told the others. "It helps quiet your nerves and pass the time. It might help with your motion sickness, Jaune."

"I'll try it… next time…"

"Enjoy flying while you can, kids," Eliza warned. "We have a good day of hiking once we leave town. Then plenty of Grimm once we get into the forest area. Good place to hide a lab, now that I think about it. Close enough to where it is accessible, but in an area people won't accidentally discover it."

While the others made conversation, Accelerator was still figuring out where the time went.

 _I don't normally space out like that,_ he thought. _I was just explaining abilities to a group who were ignorant of them. Shit. Was I really enjoying myself?_ He looked at the others and when Nora caught his eye, she smiled sincerely at him. _That girl is always unusually happy for some reason. The others are at least somewhat normal._ His eyes fell on Ren for a moment. _Except him. I can never figure out what runs through his head, but the sugar rush girl is always clinging to him._ He buckled up just to have something to do with his hands. It wasn't like he needed to. His mind continued to debate on why he seemed to act differently around these guys than back home.

His eyes widened ever so slightly.

 _Was this what it was like having friends?_

Being a loner all his life, if this turned out to be the reason, there was no wonder he wasn't sure what was going on.

The Bullhead finally landed and their group departed. Nora rushed out and was, surprisingly, followed by Jaune.

"It feels so great to stretch my legs." Nora said as the others stepped onto the platform. She put her hand above her eyes like a visor and looked around. "Wow, this place is busy."

"Sweet land," Jaune muttered and the green was already disappearing from his face. "Flying, it always has to be flying." Pyrrha laughed softly and looked around. Nora was right. Sure, it was the middle of the day, but there was a lot of activity for being a town near the edge of the kingdom.

Town might not be the right word here.

It was more like a fortress.

High metal walls surrounded the entire village and all the buildings were arranged in layers of outlined square formations. It was too far away to be sure, but there seemed to be guns mounted on them. The platform they were on was near the middle of the city and was relatively small. At full occupancy, they could probably only hold half a dozen Bullheads lined up together. There were only three, theirs and two others, but the platform already felt full. One of the Bullheads was unloading crates of supplies, while the other seemed to be parked and not in use at the time. Two dozen people were unloading the crates or shouting at someone else about something. The people they could see around the buildings were going about their business. They at least seemed happy, unlike the workers.

As Team JNPR plus two grabbed their own gear from the vehicle, a man descended upon them. The man was easily in his sixty, bald, with dirty grey hair in the back. He was rather short, kind of pudgy, and wore a cheap black suit with a red tie. He seemed pleasant enough and his smile was completely sincere when he saw them, though his eyes were primarily focused on Eliza. There had to be history between the two of them.

"Eliza! It's been ages!"

"Martin, how have things been?"

"Same ol', same ol'." When Martin laughed, he seemed to jiggle. "Only one Beowolf sighting in the last two weeks and it was removed without issue. Might be an optimist, but maybe we finally cleared out all the Grimm in this area."

"I hope so," Eliza agreed. "It would make our job much easier." She turned to the kids. "Everyone, this is my close friend, Martin. He's the current mayor and a strong supporter of hands on approach to learning. Ozpin and I had to get him to agree to authorize this excursion."

Everyone introduced themselves except for Accelerator, who Jaune introduced.

"You know I would only say no if there was a serious Grimm threat." Martin said. "With how quiet it is, now would be the perfect time for some scouting parties." He smiled at everyone else. "Good to meet you. Students of beacon on your first quest?"

"Actually our-…" Nora started to say and Ren instantly pressed a hand over her mouth.

"Yes," Jaune lied. "We are supposed to act as bodyguards for Eliza while she investigated the possibility of a new dig site."

He had made the mistake of calling her Mrs. Anthurium early on. She promptly smacked him upside the head for it.

That name made her feel old, she had explained.

"We all have had contact with Grimm," Ren added. "So there shouldn't be an issue. It's more for students to get a variety of experience in different fields."

"I agree completely." Martin nodded enthusiastically. "It's good to see Beacon still insists on a quality education."

"What's up with the city?" Nora asked suddenly. "It's a lot more uniformed than Vale or other places I've seen."

"Protection and space limitations." Pyrrha explained. "Outposts on the border tend to be more heavily guarded and harder to expand as they grow due to Grimm attacks and longer supply runs."

"You know your stuff, lass." Martin complimented and Pyrrha blushed. "Each row of buildings act as a makeshift wall in case the outer one gets breached. There are only four main roads leading out from the center square and there is a gate that will be shut at each row. There's an underground shelter in the middle as the final defense, but luckily it has never come to that. The one time the outer wall was breached was during an expansion attempt. The most we worry about now is from Nevermores and occasional Griffins."

"What kind of food do you guys have out here?" Nora inquired. "Like, do you have some special cuisine?"

Martin raised an eye at Eliza, who was laughing.

"Yeah, she has her priorities in order."

"Sorry," Martin apologized. "We get mostly dried food out here, so every individual has their own ways of cooking. Lots of spices though, so you can make something taste like just about anything. My wife makes a mean chili though. How about when you finish your mission and return, I'll have her make you a batch."

"You're the best!" Nora cheered.

"That would be most kind." Ren added.

"Thank you, sir." Pyrrha and Jaune said together.

"I'll give you a quick tour," Martin volunteered. "Eliza's been here a couple times already, but it gives us a chance to catch up."

"Have the Grimm really been that quiet?" Jaune asked, as they left the noisy docks. "Not that I'm worried, I've tackled a lot of Grimm before…"

"Ever since the Breach was repelled," Martin replied and the kids glanced at each other. "Grimm activity had been dying. Maybe they migrated to Mt. Glenn for some reason and then were wiped out without a chance to return. Either way, good news for us, as we wanted to expand a little more. We get a lot of migrants looking to start over. Human and Faunus."

"Is there a lot of fighting between them?" Pyrrha asked.

"Rarely, but it does happen." Martin shrugged. "We put it out quickly though. It's rough enough out here without people at each other's throats. You're more likely to see a couple drunks get into a fist fight. Alcohol is plentiful here."

Eliza's footsteps slowed for a fraction of a second. It wasn't long enough for most people to catch it. Only Ren and Accelerator's heads twitched slightly.

"Oh, really?" Now even Jaune and Pyrrha could tell something was up. Eliza was trying to keep her voice calm. Jaune recognized the tone as the one his mother used on his dad when she said he didn't have to get her anything. "That's interesting. Can you tell me who they were?"

"Think it was some kind of hired mercenary group." Martin answered.

"Mercenary group?" Jaune asked nervously.

"You see those types now and then." Martin elaborated. "Some wealthy patron thinks, 'Oh, let's see if there's something valuable when Grimm activity is down.' Mostly it's just a waste of money, but new Dust veins have been discovered along with ruins. I take it you were told about a possible location from someone who did this?"

The last question was addressed at Eliza.

"Yes, that's why I wanted to get here quickly." Eliza lied and then glanced at the kids out of the corner of her eye. "I bet someone I know opened their big mouth. What did they look like?"

"The group was mostly Faunus," Martin recalled and cross his arms as he thought back to this morning. "The head person was a human. Orange hair, dressed all in blue… name was… Ray Teal. Really cocky sort of guy, so I'm pretty sure he funded the expedition. The others were armed with basic rifles, so typical mercenary escort. Paper work passed and they went on their way."

"I see." Eliza paused for a moment. "Looks like we have competition then and they have half a day head start on us." She clapped her hands together. "Looks like we are leaving early. Hope everyone is ready for a long brutal hike while getting some fresh air."

 _This is going to suck,_ Accelerator thought. His ability exhausted him the more it was used, so he couldn't use it the entire trip. He would have to use it slightly to maintain long term. It would allow someone with his weak body to keep up with the others. As much as he hated to say it, his pack was much smaller than the others and Nora was carrying over half his supplies. Ren was a prime suspect of suggesting it without him knowing.

"You've always had that competitive streak." Martin sighed. "Fine, I'll push your paperwork through and vouch for you all." Eliza beamed at him as she handed over a folder with their papers. "Give me thirty minutes and you can head out the east gate."

"Thanks a lot. You've been a big help."

"Anything for you." He waved and waddled off down the road toward a large building in the city center.

"What's with the change of plans?" Nora asked.

"It's something to do with the group arriving here, isn't it?" Ren asked. "You told us the information was kept secret except for a very select group."

"That's what worries me." Eliza agreed.

"They could be here for a different reason," Pyrrha suggested reasonably. "Coincidences happen."

"Martin even said groups came by occasionally." Jaune added.

"Being optimistic doesn't mean being blind." Accelerator said, his first words since they landed. Then he suddenly jabbed his thumb at Eliza. "From her expression, there's more to do with this."

"Keen eye," She complimented him. "Yeah, I received some bad news this morning. One of my colleagues went missing over the weekend."

"Missing?" Jaune, Pyrrha, and Nora parroted.

"No idea what happened to him. Office was a mess, but that's actually usual for him. It will take time to see if anything was taken."

"This guy was involved in our mission." Ren guessed and Eliza nodded.

"Well, then." Accelerator grinned and flexed his fingers. "They can help us find the place, but if they think they are leaving with the information… they couldn't be more wrong."

"Yeah!" Nora agreed, thrusting her fist up in the air.

Jaune was pretty sure someone was going to end up with broken legs.

* * *

"Welcome to Relotem, brats," Qrow announced as they exited the Bullhead. "Try not to draw too much attention with all your chattering."

"I expected… more." Weiss admitted, looking around.

"You know not every city can be as fancy as your mansion." Yang teased.

"I know that," Weiss snapped. "Cities back home at the borders are much more heavily defended. This place looks like it could fall to a medium size Grimm attack."

There wasn't much to be argued. The city had a wooden wall, most likely fashioned from the trees of the surrounding forest. It seemed sturdy enough, but Grimm were strong. A large one might be able to knock it down if given the chance. Some wooden platforms and ladders were set up periodically around the wall. Gunners would be able to shoot over the walls if Grimm approached. The buildings within the wall were scattered haphazardly all over everyone noticed as they made their way through the city. Besides the landing platform, a few anti-air guns, everything was pretty basic. From the path they were taking, it looked like Qrow was leading them to the slightly bigger building right in the middle of town.

"You expect a village way out here to have access to mines and steel mills, princess?" Qrow asked. "They are lucky to have a single Dust mine nearby for energy needs. I heard it's a challenge every time they go down there to get a week's worth of Dust." He gestured to the walls. "Past those, there's a short expanse of flat terrain and then a sudden drop. Natural protection against most Grimm. The hard rock prevents any subterranean ones from popping up either. They only have to worry about an air raid and that's why they sprung for the materials to make those. Vale does give a stipend to cities on the border for security."

"I was told the government tries to keep people in certain areas." Touma said, remembering something Roman taught him early on. "So why do they give money to these settlements?"

"Because overpopulation has already been an issue." Weiss explained. "There's only so much land that's livable without the constant threat of Grimm invasions. While it's not encouraged to go out and create your own settlement, people will go out on their own anyways."

"It's not always their choice." Blake muttered and Yang nudged her.

"Patch was founded that way." Ruby pipped up. "It used to be just a few people who wanted to get away from the big city. And due to the lack of Grimm it grew over time."

"That's the reason the subsidies exist," Weiss continued triumphantly. "While many cities break down once the Grimm find them or the people move away after giving up, some settlements do survive. At that point, the Kingdom decides if it's worth sending money and supplies to keep the city operating. If it is, they also help people interested in moving there to settle. The Kingdom gains more territory and people find homes. It's a win-win for everyone."

"Except for people forced here with no other options." Blake muttered softly.

Only Touma, who was right by her, heard those words. He frowned at them. The White Fang taught him there were many circumstances that led Faunus to flee certain regions. While he didn't agree with their methods, he understood why they were angry.

"So where are we heading?" Ruby asked, scooting up next to her uncle.

"To the chief, mayor, whatever his title is." Qrow replied. "Need to figure out if there's any other information before we head out tomorrow."

"Is it my imagination or is every staring at us?" At Ruby's words, everyone except Qrow started looking around. Some of the residents quickly diverted their eyes, while others did not. A few even sneered at them.

"Not the friendliest of people." Yang muttered.

"Out here, everyone is pretty much out for themselves." Qrow explained. "Don't cause any fights, Firecracker, regardless what they try to start. Things can get out of hand quickly and they might expel you from the village."

"You mean on the next Bullhead out, right?" Touma tried to clarify. Qrow responded with a shrug.

"Great." Weiss added under her breath.

 _This is actually a pretty standard welcome,_ Blake thought. Her time traveling with the White Fang brought her to several of these types of townships. _At least they aren't throwing stuff at us or yelling slurs._ A few of the cities had not been welcoming to Faunus. _It's caused by them not liking outsiders. The best bet is to do what Qrow suggested. Don't antagonize them. Weiss is going to get recognized soon enough, if she hasn't already._ She took a deep breath. "Weiss, I suggest not going anywhere alone."

Weiss turned in surprise before nodding.

"I wasn't planning to." Touma frowned and moved forward slightly so he was on Weiss's right side. Yang was already on her left and Blake was behind her. Qrow and Ruby were leading the way. Blake smiled at his action.

 _I'm glad he's willing to help out, but this might actually hurt her reputation in the long run if they think we are her bodyguards._ She didn't say anything out loud though. None of the onlookers were making threatening gestures, so maybe it was working out.

"We're here," Qrow announced and knocked on the wooden door. "Let me do the introduction, brats. Just stand there and try to look professional."

"You're one to talk," Weiss huffed. "I'm always professional."

"Except when you're yelling at Ruby." Yang pointed out.

"Yeah!" Ruby agreed.

"I have never yelled at-…"

"37 times to date." Blake interjected.

"…-if she didn't deserve it."

"Nice catch."

"You just expected way too much of me when-…" Ruby tried to protest.

"What did I just tell you brats?!" Qrow scolded.

"Come in already!" A gruff voiced called out. "You're making too much damn noise."

Qrow pushed the door open and a Faunus looked up from behind an oak desk. The desk looked in good shape, if a little old. A pile of papers cluttered one side and an empty plate was on the other. The rest of the floor was pretty bare, besides the pillars supporting the second floor, a few filing cabinets, and a TV. The man had shaggy grey hair and was wearing a plaited brown shirt. He stood up as they filed in and brushed his hair back. He was maybe around forty and had a fierce expression on his face. A large grey wolf tail flickered back and forth ever so slightly.

"You the Hunters from Beacon?" He asked, skipping the pleasantries.

"Yep. Good guess."

"Don't get many visitors besides supply drops."

"Names Qrow Branwen, these are the brats. None of their names are important."

"Hey!" Several indignant cries protested.

"Names Remus Argenti." He stuck out a hand and shook Qrow's. "Take care of our Grimm problem and you might make the citizens here start respecting Hunters again."

"Huh?" Ruby was shocked. "But… Hunters and Huntresses work tirelessly against the Grimm. Why would they not respect us?"

Remus raised an eyebrow.

"They rarely come to our aid," He explained. "And when they do, there's always a large fee involved. The only reason we could request your presence was because having students reduces the cost tremendously." He gestured out the window. "Not sure if you could tell, but we are hardly wealthy. We're used to taking care of problems ourselves."

"Until this Grimm showed up." Qrow added and Remus scowled.

"That… _thing_ isn't normal. If you aren't careful, it's going to tear you apart… _like it did to some of my best men_." He suddenly slammed a hand on his desk in anger and then rubbed his face as he calmed down. "I don't know if it's a mutation or a new type of Grimm. Whatever it is, basic dust rounds don't work on it at all. It took a point blank armor piercing bullet and was merely pushed back. There are two people in our medical bay and part of a third."

Qrow frowned as Ruby and Yang looked horrified. Blake fidgeted in her seat while Touma's hand shook in anger. Weiss was the most composed out of all of them.

"Can you give us all the information you have on this Grimm?" She asked. "What you tried, possible weaknesses, any unusual behavior?"

For the first time Remus looked directly at her and his lip curled.

"A Schnee…"

Blake gritted her teeth while Yang and Touma stepped forward. Ruby's eyes widened. Qrow had to throw out a hand to stop anything from going out of hand. Weiss didn't miss a beat though.

"My name has nothing to do with the job Beacon assigned me. If you want this problem dealt with, we need to cooperate."

There was a moment of tense silent.

"You're right," Remus admitted. "My job is to run and protect this village. Your job is to defeat the Grimm. If you complete your job, then I have nothing to complain about. I'll make sure no one who has… less positive experience with your family… won't do anything... rash."

"I appreciate it." Weiss replied, keeping a calm demeanor.

"Now, now," Qrow interrupted. "We both have the same objective, so there's no need to argue about little things. We plan to talk to some of the witnesses first, get an idea of what we are facing. Can you provide us with a map of the surrounding and a possible place to lodge? We might be here a couple days."

"I'll have my assistant make you a copy of our maps." Remus assured him. "Witnesses are at the med bay. They might be able to give you more information than I can. For lodging, we don't have an inn, but there's an abandoned house you can use. Nothing fancy, but it should be large enough to accommodate you."

He explained where the building was briefly.

"I've been in worse," Qrow countered. "You at least have a bar, right?"

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby cried out.

"Of course." Remus actually laughed. "Alcohol is one of the few pleasures we get here."

"Great, it's about to receive a large boon." Qrow turned to the kids. "Let's go, we have witnesses to interview."

"Don't cause trouble," Remus growled. "Last thing we need is a rogue drunk hunter ending up in a ditch."

"Oh, that's happened… four times?" Yang said, thinking hard.

"Shut it," Qrow snapped before leading the way out. "Med tent, med tent… probably should have asked him where it was."

"The building with a big red cross on it?" Blake suggested.

"Finally, one of you made yourselves useful."

"Hey!" Yang, Ruby, and Weiss cried out indignantly. Touma tried to hold back a laugh and Blake rolled her eyes. They marched toward the building and were let inside by a female Faunus with a horse mane. Qrow explained why they were here and she pointed to a room on the left.

"Only two people returned from the last excursion," She informed them. "One's still unconscious, but Lenard is awake. Do try to keep this brief; he needs to rest."

"Gotcha." Qrow waved the kids after him and the filed into the room. "Lenard?" The blonde Faunus on the bed looked at him a nodded. A lion's tail stuck out of the sheets to his side. "We're the Hunters who are going to take care of the Grimm problem and we had a few questions."

"You might as well pack your bags and leave then." The man muttered. "That… _thing_ isn't going to die."

"That tough?"

"Tough doesn't begin to describe it!" He took a deep breath. "Listen, I'm no stranger to killing Grimm. Out here, you either learn how or you better be damn good at building. We don't have the luxury to house slackers. We left with five and returned with two, though I was the lucky one. You should see the other." His hand balled into a fist. "None of our weapons worked on it."

"Was it some kind of armor?" Weiss asked. "Or was it fast enough to circle around?"

"Armor." There was a flicker of recognition in Lenard's eyes when he glanced at her. "Dust rifles did nothing but irritate it. Shoot… it took anti-armor rounds we save for Goliaths point blank and was only knocked back. I told the chief all this, but he insists we need to get rid of it so we can access the mine. He's not wrong… there's just no way we can kill it without an entire battalion."

"It has to have some weakness," Ruby protested. "Like a kink in the armor, the face, back, somewhere?"

"We didn't find it then. We unloaded into it from all sides. Ayson was the lucky one. He died almost instantly when he was cut in half… the others…"

The man's face went green.

"We don't need those details." Qrow interjected. Ruby and Yang looked away, while Weiss bit her lip. Blake shifted uncomfortably and Touma froze. "Anything else you can tell us?"

"It's faster, stronger, and smarter than an ordinary or even an Alpha Beowolf."

"What about special… abilities?" Touma asked after a short pause and he was aware of all eyes on him. "Like ice or something? I mean, it looked like it had icicles coming out of its back and frost over its body from the picture we saw."

It was hard to ask about something like this without sounding like he knew more than he could let on.

"Sharp one." Lenard held up his hand. "Almost got frostbite here when it touched me. Bark on the trees had frozen over where it has cut into them with its claws. That's how we tracked it down."

"That would be something worth noting." Qrow pointed out annoyed.

"So maybe fire would work on it." Weiss muttered rubbing her chin.

"Or pure force," Yang suggested and pounded her fist into her hand. "We're going to take that Grimm down before it gets anyone else."

"I wish you luck." Lenard said weakly and then diverted his eyes.

"There's… something else, isn't there?" Ruby asked uncertainly. That look she had, it was the exact same look Yang showed her sometimes when she wouldn't tell Ruby why certain jokes were funny.

"Well…"

"Spill it," Qrow snapped. "We can't go in there blind if it's as deadly as you made it out to be."

"Promise you won't judge me?"

"We promise." Ruby swore, as she stepped on Yang's foot to prevent her from speaking up.

"Sure, seen enough that it probably won't surprise me." Qrow added. Lenard looked uncertain and hesitated for a moment.

"That Grimm… it can talk."

The silence in the room lengthened.

"What?!"

Just like that, it was broken by several cries of disbelief.

"Figured you wouldn't believe me."

"It's not that we don't believe you," Blake corrected, her eyes staring at him intently. "You don't have a reason to lie. We are trying to process this piece of information."

"A Grimm that can talk?" Weiss was flabbergasted. "That's never happened in history. Are you absolutely sure? You need to be."

"I'm sure." Lenard nodded. "Didn't say much. 'Weaklings, all of you.' That's all it said after killing three of us and then left."

"Well… fuck!"

"Uncle Qrow!"

"Sorry, Squirt."

"Is there anything else?" Yang asked. "Does it carry weapons, flies, maybe tap dances?"

"Not that I know of." There was the shadow of a smile on his face. "Sorry I can't be any more use to you." He leaned forward. "Kill that thing. I lost a good friend to it. I don't want to lose anymore."

"That's what we plan to do," Qrow agreed. "Good luck on recovering. Hope your friend in the next room gets better."

"Me too."

"So-…" Weiss started to say the moment they left the medical building.

"Shush," Qrow interrupted her and put a finger over her mouth. "Wait till we aren't out in the open." Weiss glared at him, but did as she was told. The six of them made their way through the building until they stopped in front of an unlocked two story… house? It was pretty run down. Qrow walked up, pushed the door open and stepped inside. "Hey, doesn't look like the roof leaks at least."

"We have to stay here?" Weiss asked dejectedly, looking around.

The first floor was divided in half. An old kitchen unit was on one side with a table and some chairs. There was no dishwasher, just a sink and a stove. No other appliances were seen. The other half had an old moth eaten couch and rug. A dirty fireplace was in front of the couch. Everything was covered with a thin layer of dust, and not the energy kind.

"Looks like there's a small bedroom upstairs." Qrow reported looking up the stairs in the back. "The girls can sleep there and the kid and I can fight for the couch. Loser gets a sleeping bag."

"Sure you're up to fighting him, old man?" Yang asked. "He might kick your butt."

"Eh, give me enough alcohol and I can sleep anywhere."

"I can vouch to that!" Ruby agreed. "Like the time we found you passed out halfway into the oven."

"Oven, really?" Touma kept looking back and forth between Qrow and Ruby.

"Dad was trying to figure out how he did that for days." Yang added with a laugh.

"New rule," Qrow growled. "No more talking about my past. Tell stories about yourself if you want to pass the time." Everyone threw their packs down in the room and began dusting off the furniture so they could start planning for their fight against this new Grimm.

"What do you think?" Blake asked.

"Me?" Touma asked surprised, turning toward her. He hadn't noticed her moving right next to him.

"I'm interested in your opinion too," Qrow added. "You have the most knowledge about that Wellen Fischer. After hearing all this, do you think he's involved?"

"He has to be," Touma agreed. "He's manipulated water to be able to block bullets easily enough and Grimm have blood, which is mostly water. If he hardened it on the surface I could see it acting as armor."

"What about the talking part?" Ruby asked.

"That… I have no idea." Touma shrugged. "He must have figured out how to use Grimm as components to his spells."

"That's troubling." Weiss muttered.

 _You have no idea, brats._ Qrow took a swig from his flask. _He's allied with Salem and the last thing we need is for her to have more of these._ He put the flask away before addressing everyone. "Plan hasn't changed. First thing tomorrow, Group 1 will set out, while Group 2 watches the village. The CCT is spotty out here at best, so switch your scrolls to short range communication and make sure they are charged." He flipped a light switch. "At least the lights work."

"What are we going to do the rest of the day?" Yang asked.

"Walk around, see if anyone else knows anything," Qrow answered. "Don't cause trouble and rest up. Could be a long day. We passed a small general store a little ways back. You can get food there if you're hungry." He tossed a few Lien to Touma. "Don't let my nieces hold the money. They would spend it on junk food."

"No we wouldn't!" Ruby and Yang cried out.

"Yes, you would." Blake contradicted.

"What are you going to do?" Weiss asked suspiciously.

"I'm going to be doing the most important thing." Qrow answered with a smirk.

"Which is?"

"Hitting the bar."

* * *

While Team RWBY, Touma, and Qrow made their way toward their lodging, a Faunus was watching them from her window. She had snake-like pupils and her long brown hair was streaked with strips of green. Normally, Hunters wouldn't draw her attention, but a Schnee was recognized anywhere. That was what drew her attention to the group. Her eyes than traveled over to Blake and Touma, two people she recognized. A hiss escaped her lips and she picked up her Scroll. On it appeared an image of Faunus garbed in the outfit worn by the White Fang.

"Send Adam a message. I found the Belladonna girl and she's with Torchwick's pupil."

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish to ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter. All mistakes are SilverFang88's fault.**

 **SF88: Fuck you, Dark.**

 **DB: Come on, you can be more creative than that. Talk to the readers a little more. Tell them all about those death flags you like to point out.**

 **SF88: Eliza dies at the end of this arc. There, you lot have now been spoiled.**

 **DB: Ass.**


	27. The Hunters Become the Hunted

**The tension is building. Another chapter is finally done for all of you readers. I was actually going to release something else earlier this month, but SilverFang has been under the weather to beta. I started writing this chapter while waiting for him to improve. Well, I finished before he got better, so I scrambled to find someone else to review. Found two people willing to help; FrodoFighter and Maderfole. It is thanks to them this chapter was able to be released. I know some of you are getting impatient. We are finally getting to the action and next few chapters are going to be fun. Once this arc wraps up, I'm going to post the list of ship names that have been trickling in. Who knows? These next few chapters may inspire some more creative ones. Side note, over 1000 reviews. That's nice.**

 **ENDDRAGON369: Hey, that's not official yet. It's not like I kill off OCs. Wait, never mind. Ignore that.**

 **JumpingToaster: Set up is important.**

 **Guest: Not everyone dies. Some may, but not everyone.**

 **shiroryuu012: That's what you think. Challenge accepted.**

 **Gamator: Othinus in Remnant would be… weird. She's either useless, OP, or takes a lot of work to give her some powers back realistically. I debated on who would join Touma.**

 **Tierboook: Mikoto could also use other stuff, like iron sand and magnetism to fight. I doubt she would do the keep charging until you explode route unless all other options were exhausted.**

 **Phoenix 7.49: I know right? Can't wait for them to meet. Though, I wonder if apathy's power only works with sound, so it might be reflected. Eh, I can decide however I want since it's not explained. Luck is a gift from god and Touma negates that. Touma always fights at a disadvantage, that's who he is. I never said Hunter's couldn't damage them, just bullets weren't working. Magic doesn't follow normal physics rules either, but the fight should be good. No other high levels will appear anytime soon. If they do, it will be way near the end of the story. They go into why Accelerator protects her a lot in the books. When he and Weiss talk again, that's going to come up.**

 **Guest: Eh, trouble shows up and everyone tries to deal with raging teenage hormones. Good times.**

 **WiliamZ0: Fine, you can be the butt kicker. I may need you to kick my beta readers too. Yeah, the new episodes with the gods pretty much wrote the ending for this fic. I know exactly what's going to happen. Most of it was their fault, even if Salem played them a little. Eh, I got other stories where Mikoto is a main character. Let Accelerator get more screen time. Ruby and Touma would get much time together until later. I think you mean Qrow, not Ozpin with the son remark. Wellen's backstory will be found out later. Didn't have a good chance for him to tell anyone around it so far.**

 **Guest: Maybe. SIlverFang is just paranoid.**

 **Handsomistic1: Nah, Neo isn't there to start everything. Besides, the girls in Remnant are a little older and know how to handle themselves to a degree. I haven't played Grimm Eclipse, but I know of it. You don't think Aleister is working on getting them back? Touma and Accelerator are essential to his plans.**

 **Guest13: Don't think Mikoto will appear in Remnant. Maybe a short scene near the end.**

 **LL: With Touma's luck, everyone in the underworld will think Roman's grooming Touma to take over his empire. Adam would destroy Touma. First, Adam knows about his ability. Second, Adam is superior in every way; physical prowess, skills, and even experience in combat. People on Remnant fight a lot. Accelerator, friendly? Nonsense.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: Accelerator isn't the sporty type and now he can get exhausted using his powers for prolonged periods of time, though it's a little better off than using the choker. Still, hiking for an entire day with his body? Not a pleasant experience. A tired and exhausted Accelerator could be handled. I'll show a scene with Last Order and Glynda at some point. Nope, definitely housewife skills. There's an interesting theory. Aleister wanted them to go there for some reason. People either love her or don't want her to show up at all. No compromise.**

 **AMTT94: I was picturing after Othinus arc but before Kamisato. I know there's not a lot of time between those two arcs, but that's a general picture. That's kind of a cop out with the gods. I already have an ending in mind after the last season or RWBY. We will see. Touma would try to save her, but she might be too far gone.**

 **Xeno01: He never admitted it. No one heard it. Lies and slander. Experiences make a person and scars run deep. It will take time, but maybe they can help.**

 **Mr. X: 1) Doesn't matter, they won't show up. 2) Not everyone can meet Touma. 3) Ruby just started measuring. Making stuff takes time.**

 **Fernandamichelleraya: Too much sappy stuff is boring. We need some excitement and tragedy thrown in for a good mix. Yeah, already decided not to bring in anyone else anytime soon. I'm having fun working the interactions between the current characters. The dance will be great. Poor Sun and Neptune.**

 **A certain guest: Someone had to get things going. He might get hit by it once before realizing it's the sound causing problems. He can't keep reflection up indefinitely anymore. (Wonder why I did that?) Touma just walks after it and taps it in the back. I'm sure Magic Gods have a hierarchy. Just trying to think what current religion might have something similar. Yep. His presence is going to cause drastic changes.**

 **Q-Guest: Don't have to worry about any more people showing up anytime soon.**

 **IllusionBreaker: Probably not. I already have a lot of characters I haven't given a chance to shine.**

 **ShadowBloodedge9396: It happens. Always glad when someone takes time to write one. Neo would probably enjoy beating up people, while saying it's all in good fun and showing off. Touma's the best thing that's happen to Qrow in ages. If Glynda tried to separate them, Qrow would just spend more time with Touma to infuriate her. I wonder if Penny would be immune.**

 **Mrcrazyman94: My friend and I watched it after that flashback. The ending for this fic wrote itself in under ten minutes.**

 **Kami: Not sure we will see Touma with Weiss or Yang unless something magically comes to me to make it work out.**

 **Chroma: It's not a weapon, but can be used as one.**

 **G119: Touma only punches people who deserve it. Like Cinder.**

 **N0Name: Accelerator is fun to write, if you avoid the combat scenes. Writing emotions and internal dialogue, what he doesn't say, is probably the most interesting, challenging, and rewarding thing you can do.**

 **Croniklerx: Okay, to be fair. No matter what I write, everyone's imagination is far beyond what I could put into words. Everyone rubs off on each other and it's hard keeping everyone in character perfectly, so there are occasionally slip ups. The joke was kind of improvised, so it wasn't that descriptive. Eliza was made because I needed another adult to supervise one group, and didn't want Peter or Bartholomew. The kids were just added as a flash of insight. The issue is, her two biggest character developments happened after the docks and after the fall of Beacon. One has happened already, the other has not. There needs to be a big event for her to change. Like maybe Adam showing up earlier. You know, if I was thinking of this ahead of time, I would have just used Ilia instead of an OC.**

 **spoony285: Heh, I added a few names to the list. Some of them were very similar to ones already on there though. I will be posting the current one in a couple chapters.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

"Weiss. Hey, Weiss. Wake up."

"Go away, Ruby," Weiss groaned, turning over on the bed. She felt something nudge her side, which didn't improve her mood.

While the house they were staying in was sturdy, albeit dirty, there were only two beds upstairs. The girls had to share. After some debate, no one wanted to bunk with Yang due to her sleeping habits, Blake drew the short straw when they decided on bunking with their partners. They spent a good part of the afternoon cleaning up the house to make it livable for a few days. There had been an inch of dust on the beds. The stove hadn't worked yesterday and they were forced to purchase sandwich makings for dinner.

"Do you smell that?" Ruby asked, nudging Weiss again.

"I swear if you passed gas..," Weiss warned.

"I'm not Yang!" Ruby hissed irritated that Weiss would even suggest such a thing. "Just tell me I'm not hallucinating." Against her better judgment, Weiss sat up, rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sniffed.

She paused and sniffed again.

"Is that… bacon?" Weiss asked and Ruby nodded excitedly.

"Yes!" She fist pumped the air and sprang out of bed. "I knew I wasn't crazy." Her words were loud enough to attract the notice of the other two girls.

"You two smell it too?" Yang asked, already out of bed. She was stretching while wearing her preferred sleepwear consisting of an orange tank top and black shorts.

"I thought the stove didn't work," Blake said, getting out of bed herself and straightening the black and white yukata-style shirt and skirt.

"Who cares?" Ruby said, bolting toward the stairs. "I'm starving." She was wearing a black tank top with white pants dotted with roses.

"Wait for us!" Weiss called out. It wasn't a lie, they all would prefer a real meal. Her pajamas consisted of a pale and dark blue nightgown of relatively conservative cut.

When they entered the kitchen, they discovered the stove was indeed working. The four pans cooking eggs and bacon on them were a good indicator. Who was cooking was also answered. Touma was facing away from them fiddling with something. A quick glance toward the living room showed Qrow sleeping in a chair. Yang was going to sneak up on Touma, but Blake grabbed her by the shirt to prevent any accidents.

"Good morning!" Ruby called out, as the girls sat down at the table.

"Morning," Touma greeted them. He was wearing a simple t-shirt and jeans. "Sleep well?"

"I slept great," Ruby replied.

"It was surprisingly comfortable," Weiss admitted hesitantly. "I expected the mattress to be rotten."

"My full body pillow helped me sleep," Yang added.

"She didn't let go the entire night," Blake muttered. "I'm surprised she didn't accidentally strangle me." Touma gave her a look of sympathy.

"Well, I hope you are all hungry," he said to them. "Breakfast will be ready in just a moment."

"How did you get the stove to work?" Weiss asked. "I thought the gas was shut off because no one lived here."

"It was," Touma confirmed. "I backtracked the pipes and found the valve."

"So what's on the menu?" Yang asked, plopping down in one of the chairs.

"Eggs and bacon," Touma answered. "Milk and some fresh squeezed OJ." He moved out of the way and they saw the small pitcher about half full with a pile of orange skins next to it.

"When did you have time to do all this?" Blake asked and Touma shrugged.

"I'm used to getting up early. Once I was sure the pipe was working, I headed to the store and picked up breakfast. I was surprised they had actual eggs and bacon, but they only had powdered milk." He gestured to the oranges. "I picked those up on a whim for some vitamin C. Was surprised when I found a hand juicer in the cupboards."

"This is… impressive," Weiss complimented. "Thank you for doing this." She gratefully accepted a glass of orange juice from him.

"Wow," Yang gasped. "You thawed the Ice Queen's heart."

"Shut it," Weiss snapped at her. "He went out of his way to make this for us, the least we can do is be grateful."

"Yeah," Ruby echoed. "Thanks a lot for making this, Touma." She happily accepted a glass of milk.

"It was no problem," Touma reassured them. "I wanted something filling too." He glanced over at Qrow. "He wandered in around one and sat on me when I was sleeping on the couch. Think he will be up soon?"

"He will stagger in when we are about to finish," Yang assured him, after laughing. She dug in the moment he passed her a plate. "Mmm this is good. Glad Blake found you. This would suck eating cold food."

"I found him?" Blake asked with a raised eyebrow.

"There was the first time we met," Touma reminisced and Blake's cheeks tinged. Yang looked between them and grinned.

"That's not fair," Ruby protested. "I found him in Mt. Glenn."

"And fell on me through a roof," Touma reminded her.

"T-that wasn't my fault!" The other three laughed as Ruby waved her hands indignantly.

"Could you brats be any louder?" Qrow asked, leaning against the doorframe between the kitchen and living room. "Some of us had a late night."

"Hanging out at the bar?" Weiss asked nonplussed.

"For your information, Ice Queen," Qrow informed her, as he grabbed his chair, spun it around, and sat down to rest his arms on the back. "I also picked up the map of the area, got a rough description of the layout of the mine, and learned some rumors about a possible Grimm nest we should look into."

"It took you until one to find that out?" Ruby asked.

"Nah." Qrow waved his hand dismissively. "This kid would understand." He slapped Touma on the back when he set down a plate for Qrow. "When a woman asks you to have a couple drinks with her, you don't turn her down." Yang's eyes widened and she turned toward Touma.

"Hey, after this mission, want to come have a drink with Blake and me at a club?"

"Nope," Touma replied immediately. He didn't even need Blake shaking her head to warn him. "I am not good with alcohol."

"Like that time on the cliff?" Ruby asked him. "You sure you don't remember what happened?"

"It's all a blur."

"It's probably better he doesn't remember," Blake stated. She wished she had a book to pass the time, but they had to travel light. The one book she brought along was finished on the ride out here.

"At least you're more mature than our chaperone," Weiss said to him and turned to Qrow. "I hope your combat skills are better than your manners."

"Ask your sister about that," Qrow replied, not looking up as he shoveled eggs into his mouth. Weiss glared at him. "Hey, kid." He turned to Touma. "You burnt the bacon."

"Sorry," Touma apologized, though his eyes twinkled mischievously. "Must still be tired from being woken up in the middle of the night _to find a drunk guy sitting on me_." His response caused the table to explode into laughter.

"Touché," Qrow told him, finishing the rest of the meal without complaint. When everyone finished, he slammed his hand down on the table, causing them all to jump. "Okay, brats. Now that we are all awake and fed, it's time to go over our plan of action today." The air suddenly changed as the relaxed atmosphere vanished. The tension could be cut by a knife. "Ruby, Yang, Ice Queen, and I will be heading off to check out the mine." He unrolled a piece of paper and pointed to a section next to the city.

"How far away is it?" Ruby asked.

"Roughly one and a half miles," Qrow answered. "Not far by any means, but it is off the plateau, which means plenty of Grimm. The people here made some makeshift barricades to slow down larger Grimm, but they do break down occasionally. This was the last known sighting, so we are going to check it out for any clues."

"If there isn't any?" Yang asked. "What's next?"

"We check out the possible Grimm nest," Qrow pointed to an area north of the mines. "Beowolves tend to gather here, so it's possible this new type went there. If it's not there, we clear out the nest anyways to help out the city."

"What about communications with Blake and Touma stationed here?" Weiss asked.

"Long range communications won't reach out here," Qrow answered. "They have a small tower that can be operated in an emergency to reach Vale, but they won't let us use it. I asked. Keep an eye on your scrolls for short range communications. There may be a time period where we are out of range. Don't panic." Blake and Touma nodded. "Just monitor the signal and check in when you see it. If we go silent for over… let's say four hours without notice, notify the mayor. At that point, it may be a big enough emergency for him to authorize access to their tower."

"That's… well planned out," Weiss stated, sounding impressed.

"Just because I drink a lot, doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing. Alcohol just takes the edge off."

"We told you Uncle Qrow was a licensed Hunter," Ruby replied.

"Ice Queen, zero. Us, one!" Yang declared, high fiving Ruby.

"Pssh." Weiss rolled her eyes. "All the times I had to correct you two put me way out in the lead."

"You didn't have to, you just wanted to," Yang countered.

"How long are you guys planning to scout?" Touma asked. "Should we expect you back before nightfall?"

"Unless we run into the Grimm…" Qrow paused and rubbed his chin. "I would prefer to check out as much as possible, but I expect us to be back before nightfall. Fumbling around in the dark is way more trouble than it's worth."

"Especially without alcohol," Touma replied.

"I'm sure you knew me better than that," Qrow continued, unfazed at the joke. He pulled back his vest to reveal a flask. "I always have some." Touma face palmed and then started placing the dishes into the sink. He stood up and headed toward the bathroom. All that alcohol was bound to hit sooner or later.

"Now's your chance," Yang whispered to Blake.

"What?" Blake hissed back. "I swear, if you tell me I should jump him when we are alone-…"

"No, I mean if you want to… but that wasn't what I was referring to." Blake regretted her words because Yang now knew her teasing was getting to her. "Take the time to get to know him. Try opening up. He's easy to talk to, but even if you're in the same room as him, you don't speak much."

"I'm not a talkative person," Blake said passively, refusing to go into more details. Yang shrugged.

"Not saying you have to turn into Weiss lecturing Ruby," she explained. "Just… ask questions or something. Maybe tell a little bit about yourself."

"What are you up to?" Blake asked suspiciously. "Are we part of one of your matchmaking delusions?"

"Actually," Yang corrected her. "I was hoping your actions might help Ruby. Look." Blake turned to see Ruby standing next to Touma, smiling and helping him wash the dishes. "Do you know the last time Ruby helped me wash the dishes voluntarily?" Blake shook her head. "She was seven." It was obvious to them and, judging by the curious expression on Weiss's face as she watched her partner, it was to her as well.

"Then why are you trying to set us up if Ruby likes him?" Blake pressed in a hushed whisper, aware Weiss was now listening in.

"Pretty sure he likes you," Yang muttered, keeping her eyes on Ruby's back. "Or maybe he's just interested. It would be good for Ruby to become more assertive in her interactions with boys. Jaune barely counts, he's as big as dork as she is, and Ren has Nora."

"Don't you think that problem lies with you chasing away every boy who shows interest in her?" Weiss pointed out and Yang frowned.

"I only chased the boys away who were trying to take advantage of her," Yang protested. "Problem was, all the guys her age want something. Touma is the first one who doesn't and, if Ruby likes him, she needs to be the one to initiate it. I was hoping if she saw you going for him, it might force her to step outside her comfort zone."

"You do recall they are trying to get home," Blake reminded her. "Home, as in another dimension."

"There's a chance they might not," Yang countered and the atmosphere grew dark. None of them wished for that to be the case. A small part of their brains refused to let them lie to themselves though.

"Let's say Ruby did try to date him," Weiss prodded, changing the subject. "Would you sit back and let them work it out on their own?"

"Of course not," Yang replied immediately. "I'll tease them every step of the way. After putting the fear of Yang into him if he tries to do anything to her."

"What's wrong?" Ruby asked Touma from her position of drying off the plates. A shiver had run down his spine, something she noticed.

"I just felt like my life was in danger," he replied and brushed it off. "Thanks for the help."

"I helped Yang with the dishes back home," Ruby lied. "So it was kind of second nature."

"I still appreciate it," Touma assured her.

"I was also hoping you could tell me about your school back home," Ruby continued. "You saw how Beacon is run and you mentioned your friends, but not what all you study or what the classes are like. Do you have interclass matches with abilities?"

"Occasionally," Touma answered. "There's a popular sports festival where we do stuff like that. Classes battle using abilities, brains, and strategy. There are rules so no one gets badly hurt. Not to say it didn't get rough."

"Tell me about one," Ruby begged. "It sounds like the Vytal Festival here."

"Our class faced off against this one school where you are required to knock down a pole while keeping your pole standing," Touma said, remembering one that happened not too long ago. "Their teacher had some rivalry against ours and upset her. Naturally, we couldn't take that standing down. The problem was the other class had much stronger abilities.. They attacked us with a series of exploding gas pockets from two students combining their powers-…"

"Cool!"

Ruby listened attentively to Touma's story. Unlike Port, who droned on and on, Touma kept it short, but with enough details to let her imagine the carnage. While Academy City didn't fight with weapons like they did, they had abilities that their lives were more centered on. Semblances were only discovered after years of having Aura, when you learned more about yourself. Having an ability at a young age, especially a powerful one, would easily shape who you were. She was beginning to see why Accelerator was someone who tried to push people away.

 _I bet people wanted to be his friend because he was strong._

"Enough goofing around!" Qrow declared, sauntering into the room. "Grab anything you need for our excursion and get your butts moving. We are burning daylight."

"Here," Touma offered, putting several small bags on the table. "I made some lunch for you guys. I avoided anything with a strong smell in case that attracts Grimm. I wasn't sure if they were attracted to the smell of food…" He trailed off under everyone's stares.

"Are you sure you slept last night?" Weiss asked.

"Were you always a housewife or was this something recent?" Qrow demanded.

* * *

"Good morning!" Nora greeted.

Accelerator's response was to growl at her.

"Not a morning person?" Ren asked, passing over a couple pancakes Eliza was making for the group.

"No."

"These pancakes are delicious," Nora told Eliza. "Almost as good as Ren's. Not that yours are bad. Ren just makes awesome ones."

"Thanks you," Eliza replied, understanding Nora was trying to compliment her.

"How did everyone sleep?" Jaune asked, sitting down on a stump. They had set up camp in a small clearing, while taking turns as look out. Each watch was manned by a group of two. Since they only had three tents, it made dividing the watch up easy. Jaune bunked with Accelerator rather than Pyrrha, who went with Eliza. Naturally, Nora went with Ren. "Not sure I like the short nights. I'm just glad we had the first watch. Waking up in the middle of the night would kill me."

"Beacon's sleeping bags are quite comfortable for being so light," Ren commented.

"It was almost like being on a bed," Nora agreed. "Though being out in the night air camping makes everything better. Ren and I camped out tons before Beacon." Accelerator looked at her. For just a moment, her eyes lost their glow. It was so fast, he might have been imagining it.

"I slept fine," Pyrrha answered. "It has been a long time since I've been out in the wilds like this. I think I was eight or nine the last time."

"With your parents?" Jaune asked and she nodded.

"My dad wanted me to learn to be more self-sufficient and build character," she answered. "My mom liked to paint the scenery. After I started seriously training for some competitions, we never had a chance to come back."

"Did they stop because of the snoring?" Eliza asked and failed to stifle a yawn.

"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha apologized while everyone laughed. "It's not that loud, right?"

"It's not _that_ loud," Nora reassured her.

"You get used to it," Ren added.

"One of my sisters is worse," Jaune finished and Pyrrha's face flushed in embarrassment. She held her head low while she ate.

 _Thought she had breathing problems at the beginning,_ Accelerator thought, but kept his mouth shut. Pyrrha was nice, not too talkative and, even after being crushed by him in the arena, treated him with respect, but not fear. If Yang had been the one to snore, he wouldn't let her live it down.

"How long until we reach the lab?" Jaune asked Eliza.

"At least half a day," she answered, looking at the map. "Maybe more depending on the terrain."

Accelerator frowned again. None of the others said anything, but they were worried about his condition. It was no secret his body was not made for this kind of strenuous exercise. The others had Aura to reinforce their bodies and physical training as Hunters and Huntresses. Nora even carried his share of the supplies. Without the Dust healing he had received, Accelerator would never have been able to keep up on a crutch. Still, his ability was the only thing allowing him to keep up. From his experiments and experience using his ability since he arrived, prolonged use of his ability tired him out. He would like to know why that was the case, but there was no prior documentation on Dust and abilities mixing. He developed a compromise to maximize the time available.

He kept his ability use to a minimum.

Exhaustion had hit him hard that afternoon and he fell asleep almost the second the tent was set up, waking up only to eat and listen to the others talk. This morning he was feeling a little better, though still sore. The pain was nothing to being shot or seeing the brat get hurt, so he wasn't complaining. That didn't mean he would move until it was required. Somehow the others saw through his act and helped make it easier for him. Their kindness irritated him, as he hated being weak. At the same time, it felt nice. Again, they were helping him and hanging out with him because they wanted to. There wasn't an ulterior motive.

He appreciated that more than they probably knew.

"There is one problem," Eliza continued.

"Those people who showed up before us," Ren stated and nodded.

"Do you really think they are part of the White Fang?" Nora asked.

"I threw that out as a possibility." Eliza corrected her. "Unless we encounter them, there's no way to know for sure. They _could_ be a mercenary group. Those do exist. Shoot, we might not even see them."

"Do you really believe that?" Accelerator asked, finally speaking up.

"…No." Eliza pursed her lips. "I _hope_ that's the case. In all honesty, it's not."

"Because of timing?" Pyrrha asked.

"And the fact there is one human among them," Eliza continued and Nora's eyes widened.

"You think it's that Torchwick guy?"

"I thought his name was Ray Teal?" Jaune pointed out.

"It's the same initials as Roman Torchwick!" Nora declared and raised a finger up high. "That diabolical mastermind. No one would have ever seen it coming."

 _It was obvious,_ Accelerator thought.

"From what Team RWBY told us," Pyrrha stated. "Roman Torchwick likes to stand out. He probably hated having to use an alias. I would have to agree we should assume it it's him. He also has knowledge of Accelerator's situation." She turned to Eliza. "Any idea how he knew you were researching this?"

"Not in the slightest and that worries me." She sighed and stood up. "Time to pack up, kids. We need to get moving. Don't expect a hot meal from now on. The further away from town we get, the greater the Grimm presence. Or the White Fang. Pray it's the Grimm. They are easier to fight."

"Doesn't matter to me," Accelerator muttered, standing up and walking toward the tents. He was going to pull his own weight, even if it was a pain. Letting others baby him pissed him off. He kicked the tents once and they collapsed. The stakes flew into the air and fell down into his outstretched hand, while the poles slid out seamlessly. "I'm ready to go anytime."

"You live in the city, right?" Jaune asked and Accelerator replied with a short nod. "Take the time to enjoy the wilderness then. I bet you've never gone camping." Accelerator really wanted to snap at him, but Jaune was right on the money.

"Not like I had a family to go camping with," Accelerator muttered. He froze when he felt a pair of eyes on him. "Shit…"

"That's so sad!" Nora cried. Before Accelerator could do anything else, she wrapped him in bone shattering hug. "You can come camping with me and Renny anytime."

"Get off!" Accelerator was forced to push her arms off with his ability, but stopped at actually throwing her. "What did I tell you about hugs!?"

"You want more of them?" Nora asked innocently.

"You know damn well that's bullshit!"

"Nora's really helping him open up," Jaune said to Pyrrha, as they rolled up the tents.

"She's always been good at that," Pyrrha agreed. "Though you give yourself too little credit. He talks a lot with you too."

"Think so?"

"He kind of reminds me of Blake in the way he doesn't talk much," Pyrrha continued. "Once they open up, you find out they don't mind talking."

"Opposite of me then?" Pyrrha giggled at him.

"I admired the way you could say what's on your mind to even complete strangers," she informed him. "It was the first time I was ever spoken to like that."

"That was only because I didn't know your reputation," Jaune reminded her, as he started stuffing the rolled up tent into a bag.

"Even after you found out," Pyrrha continued. "Your attitude didn't change at all. You still treated me as me. Learning my likes and dislikes, habits, good and bad…" She trailed off and Jaune chuckled. "It meant a lot to me and I bet it means a lot to Accelerator too, even if he doesn't want to show it. I'm really glad you became my partner at initiation."

"I was lucky when you decided to spear me against that tree." Pyrrha smiled and her cheeks turned red. "I'm really glad we were able to become such good friends. Imagine if I've been paired up with Cardin or someone." Pyrrha's smile became rather fixed at his words.

 _Tell him!_ She yelled at herself internally.

Jaune was one of the nicest people she knew. His greatest flaw was he didn't notice her feelings. Pyrrha knew she had to tell him straight up, no beating around the bush, about how she felt about him. No matter how hard she's tried in the past, she never could. Jaune liked Weiss, that much was obvious. Since Weiss liked Accelerator, Pyrrha hoped he would move on and notice her. Their relationship was more like a brother and sister. While Pyrrha treasured that, she wanted more. It was the fear that stopped her. The fear if he rejected her they could never go back to normal.

That scared her to death.

"Let's get going!" Nora cheered and started singing. "A hiking we will go. A hiking we will go…" Ren smiled and hummed along for her amusement.

Accelerator huffed, double checked to make sure he didn't leave one of the few possessions he had behind, and followed the others. Ignoring the pain signals his body was telling him, he reached into his pocket and fiddled with the one dust crystal he still had. It slipped between his fingers as he thought about Weiss. She had left it with him and never bothered to ask for it back before they parted ways on their missions. The fact he even thought about her didn't escape his notice.

He actually felt bad about what he did.

Logically, Accelerator did the right thing. It was better to stamp out any kindling of emotional attachment she was feeling for him before things got serious. Even at the cost of talking about something that should have remained hidden. At some point, Last Order, the hero, and he would all find a way back to their world and Remnant would become nothing but a memory. He had warned Last Order about it and she still insisted he make friends. One bridge was probably burned beyond repair though. He had deliberately avoided eye contact with the princess before they left. The sensation she was watching him prevented even a glance in her direction. Part of him wanted her to speak her mind.

 _Why the hell do I care about that?_ Accelerator thought annoyed. _It was the right fucking decision._

There was plenty of time to ponder this as they hiked through the forest.

* * *

"It's quiet," Ruby said, as the four of them staked out the mine.

"Too quiet," Yang agreed.

"I swear if you two try to jinx us," Weiss warned.

"Going to actually agree with Ice Queen on this one," Qrow added. "Every movie in existence shows why you don't say that." Weiss had given up on trying to persuade him to call her by her actual name. "Keep formation until we are absolutely sure the area is clear." They moved out, far enough away from each other that they weren't getting in each other's way, but close enough they could assist anyone being attacked.

"There really is nothing here," Weiss finally spoke up, looking around. They were standing at the mine entrance, away from the tree line so nothing could sneak up on them without plenty of warning. The outside of the mine was deserted. There were piles of dirt and rock, some discarded tools, and a few carts, but no signs of life. She stared down into the dark cave. "Could it be inside?"

"That's what we need to check out," Qrow replied. "Firecracker, you and I are going to go inside." Yang nodded and bumped her fists together. "You two need to guard the entrance." He pointed to Ruby and Weiss. "First sign of trouble, contact the others. Cave might be spotty, so be ready to move."

"Aww," Ruby complained. "I wanted to go with you."

"Sorry, squirt," Qrow ruffled her hair as she protested. "Yang's better at close quarter combat in confined spaces. You're better in open areas."

"Fine," Ruby huffed.

"He's got a point," Yang admitted. "Be careful you two."

"You too," Weiss replied. Yang and Qrow disappeared into the mine. The glow from their flashlight grew dimmer until vanishing completely. Ruby's eyes kept sweeping the tree line with Crescent Rose in its gun form clutched tightly in her hand. Weiss was standing on the other side of the mine entrance, imitating her action. The minutes passed and they both were growing restless.

A Bullhead passing over them was the most exciting thing that happened.

"It's all clear," Qrow reported when he and Yang exited the tunnel. "It was there, but left."

"How do you know?" Ruby asked.

"Lots of claw marks along the walls, much deeper than normal Beowolves." Qrow scratched his chin. "It would be bad if it left the area. Let's go check out the other spot. Might be some Grimm to stave off the boredom."

"All right," Yang cheered. "I'll get rusty without some action."

"You're a splitting image of Tai," Qrow commented. "Including your terrible tastes in jokes."

"Hey!" Yang protested. "My jokes are Yang-tastic."

"Boo!" Ruby and Weiss cried.

"Ugh. This brings back memories. You know how long I had to listen to his jokes on missions? Don't make me tape your mouth shut."

"Do it!" Ruby cheered.

"You love me too much to do it," Yang laughed and elbowed him in the side.

"Whatever, brat." Qrow rolled his eyes and looked up as another Bullhead passed over their head.

"So are we going to check out that Grimm nest then?" Weiss asked.

"Not much else to go by," Qrow replied with a shrug. "Keep an eye out for tracks."

"Like that?" Ruby asked pointing. Everyone turned to see where she was referring to and saw a large clawed footprint in the mud. It resembled a Beowolf's, even if it was much larger.

"Didn't think to point that out before and save us some time?" Weiss demanded.

"I just saw it!" Ruby cried defensively.

"Good job," Qrow complimented and crotched down next to it. "Even an Alpha isn't this big. It's also much heavier based on the depression in the ground. The ground's soft, but it's not pure mud. This guy's got some weight behind it."

"It's our target then," Yang concluded and saw another footprint up ahead. "Seems to be headed north."

"To the Grimm nest," Qrow muttered. "Beowolves are pack Grimm, so it wouldn't be unusual. If it can lead the others, we might have a problem."

"A few Grimm shouldn't be a problem," Ruby pointed out. "All of us have plenty of experience with them."

"You're thinking of normal Grimm," Weiss reminded her. "This one is different. Smarter, tougher, stronger, plus whatever magic… ability… whatever it may possess from another world."

"That's what I'm worried about," Qrow said and everyone looked at him. "Let's say this Beowolf can pass on intelligence or breeds to make more. This town… no every city will be in trouble. We can only deal with large Grimm forces because they can't think and plan long term." He gripped the handle of his sword. "I'm not going to suggest a suicide run, but if there is an opportunity to take this thing down, we take it."

"Sounds good," Yang agreed. "What happens if we can't take it out?"

"We report back to the city and discuss options," Qrow answered seriously. "Worse case, we abandon the city and bring in reinforcements."

"They… won't like that," Weiss pointed out.

"Human-Faunus relationships would sink even lower," Qrow agreed. "Which is why I would like to handle this now." He started walking and the others followed. "Don't make so much noise. I'm serious this time. The last thing we need is for them to know we are coming."

The forest wasn't too thick, so there wasn't any issue navigating. Light poured down through the leaves and they were able to follow the tracks. There were only a few times they disappeared where the ground was dryer. This is where Qrow came in handy. His experience allowed him to point out smaller signs, like broken branches, disturbed shrubs, and scuffed rocks. Slowly, they saw a pattern. It wasn't heading directly north, but northeast. The mine had been to the east of the village, so they were getting farther and farther away.

"Almost out of range," Ruby reported. "Should we let Blake and Touma know?"

"Send them a message we are going off the radar for a bit," Qrow replied and Ruby obliged. "Let's see." He looked down at his map. "The nest is a bit north of here while our target seems to be going toward a gorge. Heh." He chuckled. "With a little luck, we might be able to trap it."

"Good," Weiss said, brushing some dirt off her sleeve. "I'm getting sick of the outdoors."

"Maybe you shouldn't have worn heels out here?" Yang suggested and Weiss huffed. She had stumbled twice due to random rocks jetting up out of the ground.

"This way," Qrow ordered. The four of them continued their journey as another Bullhead flew over their head. "Weird."

"What is it?" Ruby asked.

"Lots of activity today," Qrow muttered.

"Didn't the mayor say they received periodic supply drops?" Yang asked.

"They do." Qrow rubbed his chin. "I vaguely recall someone say they received the drop off just a few days ago. It would explain how Touma actually got bacon."

"Maybe you shouldn't have been drunk and you would be sure," Weiss huffed. There was a note of irritation in her voice due to the fact Qrow was perfectly happy to call Touma by his name.

"Can't change the past," Qrow said passively. "And I'm too old to change my habits now." Weiss glared at him while Ruby giggled. "Canyon up ahead. Scout and find any way down. Be on high alert. It could be anywhere. Groups of two. Yang and Ice Queen take left, Ruby with me." The two groups split up and performed a quick scouting operation, examining the edges to either find a way down or signs of the Grimm. Yang and Weiss won this contest.

"Here," Yang told Qrow and Ruby once they arrived. "It's not really a path down, but there's enough ledges to climb up. Then there are those." A quick look was all it took. Deep grooves decorated the walls and ledges. Something had been climbing up and down multiple times.

"We're going down," Qrow declared and jumped down, bounding down the ledges effortlessly. The girls looked at each other, nodded, and followed. Ruby just zipped along the wall with her speed, reappearing next to Qrow. Weiss conjured glyphs and just slipped down like she was taking the stairs. Yang imitated what her uncle did and leaped from cliff to cliff.

"These grooves are fresh," Qrow reported, rubbing his hand along the ground. "Weapons at the ready. I will tell you this now. If I say run, you get out of here as fast as possible. No arguing. Even if it means leaving me behind. Do you understand?"

"We can't-…" Ruby tried to protest.

" _Do you understand_?" Qrow repeated. Ruby gulped and nodded. Yang and Weiss shared a look. For the first time, Qrow was acting like a real professional.

"…Yes," Ruby squeaked.

"Will it come to that?" Yang asked, cocking her gauntlets.

"It shouldn't," Qrow responded and Ruby looked a lot more relieved. "Doesn't hurt to take precautions against the unknown. You live longer that way." The gorge was about fifty feet wide and thirty feet high and weaved a bit. It made ambushes much easier. He took that all into account. "I'll take point. Firecracker, you're in the back. Ruby and Weiss in the center. Be prepared to act if something jumps down from the ledges."

No one missed the fact he used her name.

It didn't make anyone feel better. Since Grimm fed on negative emotions, they were sure to run across them. The four of them continued through the gorge, weapons held tight in their hands and eyes glancing in every direction. Their footsteps echoed, no matter how much they tried to silence them. At this point, anything in the canyon knew they were here. The silence was nerve wrecking and they could swear they heard their own heartbeats. As they turned a corner, Ruby caught a hint of movement on the wall to their left.

"QROW! DUCK!"

Qrow reacted to his niece's scream immediately. His knees bent while simultaneously turning and raising his sword. A black blur passed right over him.

The ear screeching sound of metal being scraped echoed everywhere.

"Nice try!" Qrow hollered, holding up his blade in a ready position. "But you will have to do better than tha-…" His voice trailed off when the Beowolf turned back towards them and stood up to its full height. "Huh, you look bigger in person."

A normal Beowolf stood as tall as a full grown man. An Alpha was easily one and a half times as big, along with having several more plates of armor like bone. This one was easily twice as tall as Qrow. Large segments of bone covered most of its body, though plenty of areas were left open to reveal the black fur. Its arms and legs rippled with muscle and it flexed claws large enough to rip a person apart. The crystalline ice structures protruded from its back like porcupine spines. A thin layer of frost covered its body. Its breath was visible, even though the day was warm. The air around them grew colder.

"Where did it come from?" Weiss asked Ruby.

"It was hanging on the wall, there!" A quick glance was all the others needed. Deep claw marks were carved into the wall where it had been waiting. This wasn't the strategy of a normal Beowolf. It was a sign of intelligence.

"You okay?" Yang asked, assuming her own fighting stance while shifting slowly to the other side of Qrow.

"Its strength isn't a joke," Qrow informed them. "Don't let it grab you." He glared at the Grimm before them. "So, I heard you can talk? Care to share a few words?"

"You… are a threat."

"It can talk!" Ruby gasped.

"We knew that already," Weiss replied, though by her tone she was just as shocked. The Grimm's voice was raspy, like someone severely dehydrated. It sounded like it wasn't used to talking. From what they could infer, the words were deep and somewhat masculine.

"What are you?" Qrow asked.

"Threats must… be destroyed," the Beowolf continued, ignoring Qrow's question. "The Hunter… becomes the… hunted."

"Good thing we found your tracks," Qrow said. "Before you had time to develop real intelligence." The corners of the Grimm's mouth twitched and Ruby would have sworn it was smiling.

"Lead… you here."

Three little words. Three words were all it took for dread to seep into them.

"Shit!" Qrow cursed. "It's a tra-…!"

His words were cut off when the Beowolf threw its head back and howled.

"Ahhh!"

The girls cried out, covering their ears. Qrow wasn't in much better shape, even though he managed to avoid yelling out. The shockwave from the howl rattled their bones and made it impossible to concentrate. The added echoes from being in the canyon only amplified the attack. They quickly righted themselves as the sound slowly died away, panting slightly, but unhurt.

"You're going to have to do better than that," Yang challenged and the Grimm's head tilted to the side.

"Fools…"

A movement from above drew their attention. Ruby and Weiss gasped as what they saw. Qrow cursed and Yang froze.

Easily fifty Beowolves were leaning over the edge of the cliffs, looking down at them. As they took in the ambush, more were appearing. Qrow gritted his teeth and turned his attention back towards the leader.

"...die!"

It leaped forward, teeth gleaming in the light. At its order, the other Grimm began piling into the canyon.

* * *

The sound of gunfire echoed across the treetops.

"Subtlety does not appear to be a priority," Ren commented, as he and the others gazed down into a valley from a cliff. Everyone was laying down and looking through binoculars.

"Why would it?" Eliza asked. "They are here on official business and killing Grimm is considered normal business out here. Even if someone else ran across them, all they have to say is say there was an attack. No one would second guess them."

"Do you think they found it?" Pyrrha asked. "They have had half a day head start."

"Why are you slackers still bothering with a few Grimm?!" An annoyed voice rang out. "Find what we came for."

"I take that as a no," Jaune replied.

"He's still yelling at a couple White Fang members," Nora informed the others. "That's the Torchwick guy, right? He looks like the picture we saw after the Breach."

"It is," Ren agreed. "His outfit and hair style has changed, but there's no doubt that is him."

"What are we waiting for then?" Accelerator asked. "Let's just go down there, kick their ass and get what we came for."

"The reason is simple," Eliza explained. "We don't know where the lab is. They don't know where the lab is. All we know is supplies came out here and we have a rough idea of the layout. Now, unless we want to dig all over the place, we need to find the entrance. I figured there would be a cave of some kind, but now that doesn't look like the case. Why not let them find the entrance for us?"

"Wouldn't that give them the opportunity to retrieve the data before us?" Jaune asked. "Couldn't they transfer it back or something? I thought the idea was to prevent them from getting it."

"They couldn't," Pyrrha realized, glancing at her scroll. "There's no service out here and they haven't set up any communication equipment to amplify signals."

"Why do you think that is?" Eliza asked, not looking away from the action down below.

"Because transmissions can be intercepted and traced?" Jaune asked.

"Precisely," Eliza confirmed. "Even secured transmissions can be tracked to some degree. What they are doing out here, they don't want others to know. Same as us."

"So we just gonna waiting for them to do our work for us?" Accelerator asked, sitting down on a rock. "Guess I can live with that. This trip's been a drag."

"Hey, Ren?" Nora poked him. "Does something about that tree look weird?" Ren frowned and examined the area where Nora was looking. "That one tree branch." She continued. "I thought I saw light sparkled off it."

Ren didn't doubt her as tried to find the branch. Nora may exaggerate, be easily distracted, and had some destructive tendencies, but she really didn't lie. At least with ill intent. However, the two of them have been together since they were very young. Being orphans, they didn't have many options except to rely on each other. Nora always had good eyesight and something that was different or unusual always caught her eye. If she said she saw something, something was there. At last, he located it.

"Guys?" Everyone looked at him. "Nora found something." It didn't take very long for everyone to turn their attention to that branch. "What do you think?"

"I think we should go examine it," Eliza answered. "Looks like it was a good idea to come up here. Nice job, Nora." Nora smiled and tried not to look too pleased with herself.

"Hate to be the bearer of bad news," Jaune spoke up. "But that area is crawling with the White Fang. I don't suppose you know how to get rid of them?"

"As a matter of fact," Eliza replied. "I do." She turned to Accelerator. "You want to cause some destruction, right?"

Accelerator grinned.

* * *

"It's just one thing after another," Roman sighed and lit a cigar. "First we get forced to come out to this god forsaken land, then your commander abandons us…"

"He said an emergency occurred yesterday," one of the grunts tried to explain.

"…and now we have all these Grimm prowling around the area," Roman finished, ignoring the peon's comment. "Clear them out and then get back to searching. The less time here the better."

Roman watched the grunt run off to relay his orders. A few minutes passed as he puffed on the cigar, contemplating where his life went wrong. The very first time he met that woman, Cinder. That was definitely the start of all this. She had waltzed into his empire, burned half of his contacts so badly their corpses were unrecognizable, and then demanded he worked for her. That woman had a presence that Roman detected immediately. Even Neo was afraid of her, so there weren't any other options that lead to him living, besides saying yes. The only good news was she paid well for him to rob Dust stores. The two stooges that always accompanied her were skilled, though not nearly as clever.

Things went downhill when he met that one girl he affectionately called Red. Who would have expected a girl with a giant scythe coming in and wrecking all of his plans? Then there was that time at a dock, where a ginger, Red, a cat, and a monkey messed up his plans. How was he supposed to know a bunch of brats would show up there? The White Fang grunts were useless in dealing with them. After another semi-failure, he laid low until the heat died down.

That was when Neo decided to bring him another kid.

In all honesty, which Roman tried very hard never to follow, that kid was actually pretty useful. He sped up the operation in Mt. Glenn just by being there. He also kept Neo entertained, which was saying something. Her entertainment usually involved some serious injuries and mysteriously falling objects. The mission, however, was interrupted again by a bunch of brats. They just kept multiplying. It was only thanks to his ingenuity and cleverness, with a little help from Neo, that he got away unscathed. The boy wasn't bad in that regard either. He survived the train crash. Losing Neo, that was the biggest blow to Roman. Regardless of the fact Cinder wanted her there, Neo's absence was like Roman losing a hand.

 _Hope she remembers not to cause problems. Her job is to scout and keep eyes off of Cinder's group._

A couple gunshots rang out and then Roman's radio began to go off.

"We got intruders! A girl with a giant hammer-…AHHH!"

"For the love of…" Roman gritted his teeth. "Okay you animals. We got brats incoming. I want them taken care of." Several replies came back and he saw the White Fang taking up positions in the clearing. Movement from the tree line caught his eye and three people emerged. Two he recognized and the third reminded him of a girl on a report.

"Hey, Greenie!" Roman called out, leaning on his cane. Ren's expression didn't change, but his hands on his guns tightened ever so slightly. Nora was standing behind him, her hammer held in both hands. She looked ready to attack. Accelerator, who Roman recognized from the picture Touma showed him, looked bored with his hands in his pocket. "And you brought friends. Well, Whitey there I recognize. You ever meet up with your friend? I told him where you were."

Accelerator's eyebrows narrowed. Roman knew full well Touma was in Beacon and was just enjoying himself.

"No response?" Roman asked. "I thought Greenie here would be avoiding me. After that thrashing I gave him last time."

"You just got lucky!" Nora yelled out angrily. "Now that we're here, we're going to kick your butt!"

"Don't be like that Pinky," Roman replied, twirling his cane in his hand. "If you wanted my autograph, you just had to ask. I adore my fans." He smiled. "Besides, I'm an adult. Why would I play around with kids again?" He raised his hands out as more White Fang appeared. All the scouting groups were returning. "Let me show you what happens when you mess with me."

"Now!" Ren ordered.

Accelerator stepped forward right when the White Fang opened fire. The ground in front of them shattered and large chunks rose into a makeshift barricade, absorbing the bullets. Simultaneously, Nora's hammer hilt collapsed into the head as she shifted her weapon in its ranged mode; a grenade launcher. Nora grinned, aimed over the wall, and fired several shots.

"Look out!"

Explosions followed the panic shouts from one of the grunts.

"Think that got their attention?" Nora asked.

"Oh, I think it did," Ren replied.

"Enough flirting," Accelerator snapped. "Let's go unless you want to take them all down here." His side hurt, but he didn't let it show on his face. Ren nodded and motioned to Nora to follow. They turned and ran into the tree line as a large explosion took down the earth wall Accelerator had made.

"Don't just stand there!" Roman roared, lowering his cane. "Get them!" Every available member of the White Fang started chasing them. "Do I have some weird attraction for brats?" he asked no one in particular, before following everyone else. A minute passed, before Jaune, Pyrrha, and Eliza emerged from the opposite side Ren, Nora, and Accelerator had.

"They fell for it," Jaune stated in amazement.

"Because they can't let people know they are here," Eliza explained. "Now, let's check this out before they return. We don't have much time."

The plan had been simple. Out of all of them, Ren and Nora had the most survival experience besides Eliza. Those two would be the distraction to draw away the White Fang. Accelerator went with them because he would provide firepower if things got rough. Even if Accelerator was trying to hide it, he was tiring out. There was no telling how long he could use his ability at full power, which was why Eliza vetoed the direct assault. He should be able to retreat easily enough with the others in his condition.

"I hope they are okay," Pyrrha said worriedly, as they approached the tree.

"We know how strong all three of them are," Jaune reassured her. "They won't get captured that easily."

"Sorry, this was the only option since they beat us here," Eliza apologized, stopping beneath the tree. She looked up, took a step back, dashed forward, and kicked off the tree trunk to reach the branch. The second she grabbed the branch with both hands it slipped down like a lever, followed by the sound of grinding gears. Jaune tripped and fell backwards as the ground where he had been standing slid away, to reveal a dusty stairwell leading down into the darkness. "Here it is," she declared happily. "Let's hurry and get the information before they return."

"You sure this is safe?" Jaune asked.

"Safer than staying up here," Eliza replied, descending down the stairs.

"What do you think is down there?' Pyrrha asked, following Eliza.

"Broken equipment, lab reports, maybe some old chemicals," Eliza replied. "Anything alive down there would be long dead."

"Oh come on!" Jaune protested. "Haven't you two seen _any_ scary movies? That's a death flag. There's probably a race of giant Grimm spiders or something."

Pyrrha shivered.

Little known fact, Pyrrha _hated_ spiders.

* * *

"Idiots. Could they have been any more obvious?"

Roman observed from a distance as Eliza, Jaune, and Pyrrha descended into the lab. It was easy to infer what their strategy was. Based on fast the other brats retreated, Roman correctly deduced they were just a distraction. The question was what? Were they leading his men into a trap or trying to distract them. His guess had been right on the money. A small force slipped into the hidden entrance using a fake tree branch. As he watched, the door slid close.

"Impressive," Roman muttered. "We didn't expect a tree to be the key. All of that work looking for a cave was a waste." He glanced over his shoulder at the small force of White Fang members he brought with him. "Okay you mutts," he announced. "We found the lab, but some mice have broken in. It's time to exterminate them."

"Wouldn't it just be easier to wait until they come back out?" one of the grunts asked.

"This is why I'm in charge." Roman turned around and pressed the tip of his cane under the guy's chin. "What do we do if there's a back way out? Let them leave with the information? We are going to go down there, grab what we came for, take anything else that may be valuable, and head back to the comforts of civilization. You know how long it is been since I've spent a night in a tent? Not long enough. We give them five minutes and then we go in." He smirked. "Let them disarm any traps."

* * *

"What is with all the visitors today?" Remus growled to his assistant. "You said you only had a friend dropping in, Belinda. Why are there three Bullheads full of people?"

"My friend is an important person," Belinda replied, brushing her brown hair with green streaks over her shoulder. She was wearing an emerald colored dress with a slit in the side to allow maximum movement. Her eyes resembled those of a snake and were zeroed in on Remus. "It's only natural he would bring in some security, especially out here."

"I would have appreciated some warning," Remus growled back. "Now I have people calling me about letting in a bunch of outsiders and if the Grimm problem is causing this." He rubbed his temples. "Next thing you know, Vale is going to send its military out here and take over."

"That will not happen," a male stated in a cold tone, as the door opened. Remus recognized the voice and tensed up. The hairs on his neck were standing on end. A name escaped his lips before he could stop himself.

"Adam Taurus."

"Remus Argenti, it's been too long."

Adam pulled off a cloak he was wearing to disguise himself and placed his white mask back on. He was wearing his normal long-sleeved black trench coat and red undershirt. The cloak was to prevent himself from drawing attention. It wasn't like most people in the area would recognize him, but a certain girl in the city would easily. Belinda had been in contact with him to make sure she was on the far side of the city before he came in. He sat down on the other side of the mayor's desk.

"Tell me what you want," Remus demanded. "You know full well I retired from the White Fang. Now I'm trying to keep this city safe from Grimm. I don't need _you_ bringing trouble."

"I see our old friendship means nothing," Adam replied and sneered ever so slightly. "How many times have we risked life and limb to hijack Schnee transports and protected countless Faunus from human oppression?"

"Your methods are only causing us more problems," Remus countered.

"My methods are working!" Adam countered. "The reason this town can even exist, is because humans fear us now. The ones brave enough to come out here keep their heads down and out of trouble. They wouldn't dream of discriminating against us."

"They probably do dream!" Remus argued, slamming his hand down on the table. "The humans that come out here are the ones forced out like many of our kind are. Most of them aren't types we would want. They are just the only ones who _will_ come out here. When humans fear us, they start treating us all like monsters. You push them too far and it's going to end up causing another war."

"If it comes to that," Adam stated. "We will win. Members of the White Fang are stationed in all levels of government, except Atlas, which is controlled behind the scenes by the Schnee." He leaned forward. "Speaking of Schnee, I heard one came here. Why isn't she dead?"

"She's only a child," Remus explained. "A child who is clearing away a Grimm problem for us. I hate the Schnee, sure, but I'm not petty enough to slaughter a child for merely being born. Unlike some people." His eyes narrowed and then he shrugged. "If she dies killing it, I'm not going to bat an eye. I, however, won't be responsible."

"You always were one who never liked wasting resources," Adam conceded. "You were just soft when it came to doing what needs to be done."

"It's easy to say that from the front lines," Remus said. "When you look at the big picture, you have to understand violence can only do so much."

"Violence wasn't working because we kept stopping before it made a difference," Adam continued to argue. "All the raids I've personally conducted lately have yielded results. Fewer stores are discriminating against Faunus because they know what we would do to them. More jobs are opening up because Humans understand what will happen if they don't."

"Arguing with you is pointless," Remus muttered. "Now, again. Tell me why you are here."

"I'm here to catch up on my long lost love," Adam replied. "She left the White Fang on… less than positive terms. Now that I've found her, it's time to talk some sense into her. She will come back. She has to. Of course, there's the human boy who has caused some… unfortunate events. He will have to be disposed of so she understands."

Remus stood up.

"Get out," he hissed. "Take your troops and leave this place. You are insane. Doing whatever it takes to make the world a better place does not involve you satisfying your own lust."

"I'm sorry you feel that way." Adam sighed. "Shame it has to come to this."

Remus's hand flew down to his belt to grab the hidden pistol there, but was far too slow. A long red blade found itself sunk deep into his chest.

It all happened in an instant.

"You…bastard…" Remus coughed up blood, before slumping forward. It was only a sign of their history that Adam slowly removed the sword and lowered Remus back into his chair.

"Did… did you have to kill him?" Belinda asked, finding her voice. Her face was deathly pale and it was a miracle she didn't scream.

"He's a remnant of the old regime," Adam replied, not sounding upset at all over what he had just done. "It's time for a change. The weak need to be replaced by the strong. No longer are we going to hide and just protest. We are taking the fight to them." He flicked the blood off his blade and sheathed the sword. "Now, will you follow me? You still hold a lot of sway with members of the White Fang after you persevered in Atlas."

Belinda shifted to the side and revealed her right side.

She was missing an arm, cut off at the shoulder.

Her eyes flashed as she remembered the torture she had experienced at the hand of those working for the Schnee. She turned her gaze toward Adam, who nodded at the change in her expression.

"I'm glad you understand. Now, go take the guards and round up all the humans, lock them up somewhere until we decide what to do with them. Any sympathizers, do the same thing. Let the others know they can use lethal force if required. As for Blake and that boy, leave them to me."

"Understood, sir." She left the building and Adam looked out the window, to the direction of the wall.

"Soon, my love. I'll make you come back to me."

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish to ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter. All mistakes are SilverFang88's fault. He was sick and couldn't review so others took up the slack. Thank you, FrodoFighter and Maderfole.**

 **Ah, at last, the action has arrived. It's not RWBY without awesome fight scenes.**


	28. Unexpected Findings

**This chapter was a reminder why I shouldn't write when I'm not feeling 100%. SilverFang pointed out I had a lot more issues than normal early on during the first pass when he returned. No idea what happened but the quality was far below what I normally put out. We had to work a bit to get it up, but it's finally done. This chapter focuses on mostly on Team JNPR's side rather than then RWBY. I wanted most of one chapter devoted to them, so there's only a little bit of set up on their adventures. Other than that, I'm expecting some new shipping names soon due to two characters meeting.**

 **ENDDRAGON369: He was fine. It was just all the other work he had to catch up delayed things.**

 **Dragonrails: Touma has level 100 housewife skills. Adam was such wasted potential in the RWBY series. I'm debating if I want to give him a bigger role. Touma never considers himself being a hero. Ruby might say he's one, Accelerator would say he's one, but Touma would never say he is one. There's only so much you can talk about with inequality before readers start getting bored.**

 **botman69420: Never.**

 **Awardedall: You're welcome. Thanks for reading.**

 **VGBlackwing: Accelerator gets to meet someone better. That's Adam's character for you though. He's somewhat insane and focuses on the ends justifies to means. It's one of the reasons Blake left. She couldn't stand the hypocrisy. Yeah, Blake had a lot of character building early on before SV started. It kind of makes her character feel more static as I write. There will be some development though.**

 **Ahsoei: There's some Touma side here, but it's most JNPR/Accelerator this chapter due to making the RWBY side one chapter.**

 **unclecreepy16: Not this chapter, but maybe next one if people are… unlucky? Lucky? Depends on which side they are on I suppose.**

 **Kami: Don't think they will. Yang could if Touma laughs at her puns and raises a flag, but it would be tough.**

 **Oriongamer: I wonder.**

 **TheB: Nope, not at all.**

 **guerilla sam: I don't know. It could help Blake's and Touma's relationship.**

 **Orakle: No problem.**

 **LL: It warns him, but doesn't give enough information for him to know where it's coming from. Punching Adam is going to be tough. He knows about Touma's power. IT wrecking him? That's possible. Cinder fight is going to be great. I have ideas for both scenarios. Neo would order using Beacon's funds. Touma doesn't really have money here. Nah, she's probably driving Glynda mad and getting Last Order in trouble.**

 **Fernandamichelleraya: Just a normal day for Touma. Making food and keeping everything clean. Nope, Accelerator is androgynous and doesn't count. The concept of personal space doesn't exist for Nora. She also is fiercely loyal and Accelerator is considered part of Team JNPR's family now. Weiss smashing Jaune's feelings is just another normal day at Beacon. He won't learn otherwise. I'm sure Touma will be fine. He won't be disARMed anytime soon. Probably.** _ **Insert Yang laughing here.**_ **My friends and I thought Silver Eyes was an ability from a third god granted to humans to help them combat magic and choose their own destiny. Since it worked on Grimm and maidens. Well, that information tells us how the series is going to end most likely. Ruby freezes Salem in stone.**

 **ShadowBloodedge9396: Cliffhangers are great. They make you come back for more. Ah, Komoe is kind of crushing on Touma. We all know that. She just has professionalism preventing her from acting on it. Glynda is probably the same way. Doesn't mean she might not show favoritism once in a while. For Penny, I'm debating how this would. Would an artificial soul be permanently negated by IB? Would she be able to tell Touma's dangerous to her? So many questions I have to decide the answers for due to this being a crossover.**

 **Touma is the son Qrow always wanted. The time he is given with his nieces, he wants to make the most of it. Nora and Jaune have that way of making people open up. Pure souls who just want to help with no ulterior motives. Adam knows Touma's power, so he won't underestimate it. A single touch could change the tide of battle.**

 **Kami: Lots of good fight scenes being set up.**

 **Chroma: Well, Touma says things he may not necessarily believe. It's his way of giving others a second chance and to motivate himself. Nora and Accelerator should never be on the same side in a fight. Too many casualties.**

 **Guest: Remnant logic is different from Academy City logic. Index trained him well for these situations. As for Nora and Accelerator, she approached him with no murderous intent so he didn't see it coming. He had to use his ability to get her off him though. Not used to physical contact and all that. Torchwick gets mentioned in this chapter and what Accelerator notices.**

 **IllusionBreaker: When the dragon emerges, a few people will see it.**

 **WiliamZ0: Writing Hamazura takes some work, but it can be done. Seems kind of soon for Silver Eyes. Qrow is there and he should be able to handle things. Intelligent Grimm, Remnant's worst nightmare. There's nothing Torchwick can do against Accelerator. Adam's going to destroy Touma. Accelerator lost due to his lack of battle experience. Adam doesn't have that weakness and he has knowledge of Touma's power. The dragon is a trump card. I feel Kamachi is never going to tell us what the dragons are. Of course they will. That's going to be a huge plot point.**

 **HydraLightning: Maybe.**

 **Mr. X: 1) Nah, just a joke we have on discord. He's a guy. 2) That's stupid. 3) I still need to finish NT21.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: Now we know why Adam really hates the SDC. That's a common complaint. There was a lot that could have been done with him. Of course, we don't know he's dead yet. The body disappeared underwater. Touma would be the one person who could understand. The question is, will Adam believe that? Weiss's dad needs a Touma punch for sure.**

 **Kamisato: Wait no more.**

 **A certain guest: Yeah, it seems like a natural conclusion. A different entity? Like what? A giant turtle or something? Most of the females in Beacon train to be fighters. Jaune, Ren, and Touma have housewife skills due to their circumstances. Don't think I'm going to involve WR at all.**

 **Guest13: That's a good question. If the dragons escape will his Aura flare up? It would vanish immediately once they return though. Semblance takes a long time to unlock. People usually have their Aura for years. There's the reason you want Touma to have an illusion power. You ship Neo and Touma, don't you?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

"…and then it ended up with us being involved in some sort of turf war between two Skill-Out factions," Touma said to Blake as the two of them patrolled the border of the town. "I'm not sure how, but Tsuchimikado found the boss of one side and Aogami found the boss of the other. Would have been fine if they separated them to stop the fight, but no... They brought them together, right on top of my position."

He sighed and rubbed his head.

"Hmm." Blake made a noncommittal noise, looking out over the forest from her position on the wall. Although Touma couldn't see it, the corners of her lips were tugging upwards at his story.

"Ah… sorry if I'm boring you," Touma muttered. Blake's eyes widened a bit before jumping down off the wall and landing beside him.

"It's not that," She assured him. "I was the one to ask about your friends in the first place." She pursed her lips together thinking about how to explain her actions. "I'm not the most … talkative person, but that doesn't mean I'm not listening."

"Not talkative?" Touma repeated and this time he was smirking. "Really? I had no idea."

Blake rolled her eyes at him.

"Your story was pretty funny," She continued. "Unlike Yang's stories, which are filled of terrible puns."

"I could see how that would get tiring if she does it too much." Touma admitted.

"Ruby grew up with her," Blake reminded him and they both chuckled. "So please don't take it personally if I don't always respond with more than a few words. I do enjoy talking to you."

"Glad to hear it." Touma remarked with a laugh, though it was brief and his voice dropped down as his chuckle died away. "Hey, Blake, can I ask you something?"

Her eyebrow rose ever so slightly, but otherwise she nodded. It would be a lie to say she wasn't curious about what Touma wanted to ask her. A lot of guys would usually ask her if she was seeing anyone or wanted to go out on a date. Her Hunter training kept her fit and, as Yang had so elegantly put it, their team was hot. However, she didn't think that was what Touma was interested in asking, so she didn't push back. Answering questions about herself wasn't her favorite pastime, though she did ask a few things about Touma's world while they were patrolling. He seemed keen enough to talk so the least she could do is return the favor.

"You told me why you joined and left the White Fang," Touma continued. "But are you from Vale or somewhere else? Weiss said she was from up north in Atlas once and Yang and Ruby were from a small rural town.… Patch, I think? "

Blake bit the corner of her lip for a moment, thinking.

"Menagerie." She answered finally. "It's an island nation in the south east."

"So it has to be warmer than Atlas," Touma commented. "What's it like?'

"A good portion of it is desert," Blake admitted. "Or full of dangerous wildlife. The majority of people live near the shore. It's a little crowded, but it's relatively safe for Faunus."

"For Faunus?" Touma asked, sensing there was something more.

"Menagerie was given to Faunus for their participation in the Great War." Blake explained. "It was the first time a kingdom granted us equal rights and a place to call home. Menagerie wasn't the best reward by a long shot, but it was a start after an era of severe inequality. There's still injustice, but I have seen positive steps in the right direction."

"Do you miss it?" Touma asked, as the two continued around the border.

"I do," Blake admitted. "My family lives there and… I didn't leave on the best of terms."

"They didn't want you to join the White Fang, did they?" Blake stopped suddenly at Touma's words and turned to him. She was visibly distressed, something he noticed. "Sorry," he apologized immediately. "I take it that's something personal."

"…It's complicated," Blake admitted. "The White Fang had changed and I was blinded by… faith in someone. It took a long time for me to realize who he really was. What he was doing to me." Her arm began to shake and so she gripped it tightly to cease the limb's quivering. "I took the opportunity to flee and came here. To make a difference and correct my past mistakes."

"That's all anyone can do," Touma reassured her. He briefly thought about putting a hand on her shoulder but wasn't sure she appreciated physical contact like that. He shifted nervously once Blake's amber eyes focused on him.

"I told you before you were strange," Blake commented. "Yet you seem to understand me more than most. Maybe that makes me strange too."

Touma, in an initial response, simply shrugged.

"To me, you're pretty normal," He explained. "Back home, there are a lot of people like you. People who want to make a difference. Who fight for equality. Some of them get blinded by the end goal and make mistakes. Sometimes they just need someone to help them remember why they fight and not think the end justifies the means."

Blake nodded slowly, unsure what to say.

"Besides, compared to the rest of your team, I think you're pretty normal. My first meeting with Ruby? She fell through a roof." Blake's unease cracked as she laughed while Touma explained things in a little more detail. It seemed that Ruby left out some important information when she found Touma.

"You might want to keep that encounter a secret from Yang." Blake suggested.

"Why?"

"Oh, just a piece of advice." Her eyes rose to the sky as another Bullhead passed over them. "It seems there are a lot of ships today, doesn't it?"

"Maybe it's a supply day?" Touma suggested. His eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to see in the distance. There was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind.

"Maybe."

Her instincts suggested there might be something more, but there wasn't anything that came to mind. It's not like the city was valuable enough bandits would come here. The trip alone was dangerous if a random Grimm like a Nevermore showed up. There was a chance the knowledge of a new type of Grimm could have leaked out, which would lead some scientists here to try to study it. If that was the case, staying away to avoid giving them information was their best bet. At least until the others returned with their findings. Besides, it wasn't like these ships would bring Grimm for them to worry about.

They waited in silence for a bit before Blake spoke again.

"So, is it my turn to ask a question?"

"I didn't know we were taking turns," Touma replied and shrugged. "But, sure?"

"Why are you so good at household chores?"

Blake couldn't help smiling when he gaped at her. Yang was right. A little teasing now and then was fun.

* * *

"We might have to split up," Ren suggested, as he, Nora and Accelerator retreated. "That way someone can circle around and meet up with the others. The other two can keep drawing their attention."

"I can do that." Nora volunteered.

"No." Accelerator denied. "I will."

"Are you sure?" Ren asked, shooting over his shoulder.

"You and your girlfriend attract a lot more attention with your firepower." Accelerator stated, ignoring the pair's protest about how they weren't together-together. "They won't notice me if I keep my power usage at a minimum. Even if they do, it's not like they can beat me."

The meaning was clear.

Accelerator would be fine on his own.

"Got it," Ren said with a nod and glanced around. This was easier than arguing. "There's a thick tree line over that way." He gestured with one of his guns. "Nora, think you can draw their attention to us as we climb that hill?"

"It's going to put us out in the open," Nora muttered in thought and then grinned. "Perfect chance to fire several grenades. They will believe I'm using covering fire instead of a distraction." She glanced at Accelerator. "Good luck! Make sure the others are safe."

Accelerator grunted and darted forward into a thicker area of trees. Using the absolute minimum force to virtually glide on the grass, he disappeared silently into the foliage. Limiting the gravity vectors on his body helped a lot too. The shouting grew louder as the White Fang grunts caught up, but it was quickly overshadowed by several explosions. Nora was a champion at drawing attention to herself and was proving her skills once again. Accelerator paused behind a large tree as one last White Fang straggler passed and then made his way back toward the lab. There was another reason why Accelerator wanted to go instead of the others.

Roman Torchwick was nowhere to be seen.

Accelerator didn't believe that guy was a match for him physically. Mentally, not so much either, except for maybe one important aspect.

Forethought.

From what he knew about that guy, Roman was a criminal who had been eluding police and Hunters for years. That implied he had to have at least some intelligence or security on Remnant was completely useless. It was possible it could be a little of both. Accelerator also heard from the others he was strong enough to take them on without too much trouble, so he was skilled to some degree. If Roman wasn't here, there was only one place he could likely be.

 _He knows about the others._

Sure, there was the chance Roman was with another group still looking for the lab, but Accelerator tended to act on the worse case scenarios so as to avoid being surprised. Without too much trouble, as the grunts were already past him, he made his way back to the clearing. Being smart, he didn't step out into the open but lingered along the tree line. He was panting a bit heavily to the point that he was forced to lean against a trunk to catch his breath as he looked around.

 _No one's here,_ Accelerator thought to himself. Besides the metal branch, he didn't know anything else about the entrance to the lab. There were a lot of crates scattered around and some abandoned tents. _Guess I'll head back to the meeting spot. Then again, I could stay, I suppose. The White Fang left a bunch of supplies so they should be back. It wouldn't be hard to just crush them all._

He took a deep breath and thought better of it. He was tired and wanted a break. Besides, with Jaune's luck, which was almost as bad as the damn hero's, it was sure to end with a Grimm army showing up.

He moved to the other side of the clearing and was about to propel himself upwards, when he felt something. His head turned looking for the source. A presence, something foreboding, warned him someone was nearby. It was the same feeling some of the people from Academy City gave. A person with skill who worked for the dark side and wasn't afraid to kill. However, there was no one here. An explosion echoed way in the distance, but nothing else. The only living thing within site was a black bird perched on a branch a few trees over. It seemed to be watching him.

Accelerator frowned and kicked a rock.

The rock flew at breakneck speed at the bird, missing it by a fraction of an inch.

Accelerator smirked when the bird jumped back unnaturally.

"Come out," He barked. "Or the next one is going through your skull; and I won't miss."

The bird landed on the ground and gave him a weird look. It was something akin to annoyance and interest, though it was hard for him to read a bird's expression. Accelerator's eyes widened and his mouth fell open at what happened next. The bird suddenly grew larger, like it was having a growth spurt into a new form. In seconds, a woman with a lot of pitch black hair stood before him. She was wearing a shallow cut black and red dress, five necklaces with an assortment of beads, a red girdle-belt, and a pair of matching gauntlets.

After living in a city full of kids with powerful supernatural abilities, something like this wouldn't surprise him. Especially after witnessing all sorts of shit in Russia, including a giant humanoid construct with wings people called an angel. He had expected that bird to be something after his test. The rock he launched at it was designed to miss but be close enough to look like it would hit. The second that bird jumped back, he knew it wasn't a real bird. A normal bird would have flapped after the rock passed and flown off.

So it wasn't the fact that a bird turned into a person that surprised Accelerator.

No, what surprised him was the woman looked almost exactly like an older Yang; just with black hair.

"That it?" Raven asked, sarcastically. "You noticed me, called me out, and now you're speechless?"

Finding his words, Accelerator mustered the only response he could think of.

"Didn't expect Yang's mom to be here."

"Oh, you know Yang?" Raven smirked. "Heh, I doubt she considers me her mom."

Accelerator blinked.

He didn't expect to be right that time.

* * *

"Think there's a light switch somewhere?" Jaune asked, as he, Pyrrha, and Eliza reached the bottom of the stairs.

"The labs been abandoned for years," Eliza reprimanded. "I doubt anything is still running. The most we can hope for is that the data banks are still function-…"

An alarm above them beeped, a green light turned on, and the door in front of them slid opened.

"…or that happens," Eliza amended peering into a dimly lit hallway. Emergency red lights had flickered on, casting an eerie glow all the way down the passageway.

"Should we get going?" Pyrrha asked. "We don't know how long this will take. Then we have to think of a way out of here."

"I think the way out will be easier." Eliza admitted, a hand on the holster carrying her gun. "A paranoid scientist like Merlot? There's sure to be a backway out. That's why I made us decide a meeting place away from here. Not only to avoid detection, but to also ensure we know where to go if we can't exit the way we came in."

"How often have you done this?" Jaune asked suspiciously.

"Once or twice." She took a step forward carefully and checked the walls, ceiling, and floor. "Huh, no pressure sensors or holes for motion detectors. Thought for sure there would be traps."

"Why do you keep trying to jinx us?!" Jaune demanded and Pyrrha had to stifle a giggle.

"Let's go," Eliza ordered, ignoring his outburst. The three of them walked down the hallway to a much larger metal door. There was a beeping sound and a panel slid open to reveal a number pad, covered with half an inch of dust. "No one's been here for a long time." She pressed a combination and an annoying beep echoed down the hall. She frowned and tried again, only to get the same sound.

"Something wrong?" Jaune asked.

"Passwords from previous labs aren't working." Eliza replied, trying again with no luck. "Can't say I didn't expect this, but too many incorrect inputs are sure to cause a failsafe or lockdown." She tried once more and the panel slid shut, almost pinching her fingers. "Yep, like that." Her eyes darted upwards as a panel slid partially open before jamming. The sound of air moving was heard before being replaced by the sound of grinding gears. Said sound was replaced again by silence as it all this noise abruptly ceased. "Heh, looks like the traps are too old too." She cracked her knuckles. "Guess we do this the old fashion way."

"Mind if I try?" Pyrrha offered.

"Be my guest."

Pyrrha walked up to the door and pushed. The door wouldn't budge even a millimeter. It was made of heavy reinforced steel. Even if all three of them pushed together, it wasn't budging. However, Pyrrha had something most other people didn't have. She concentrated and felt her Semblance take over. A black glow covered the door and she began to pull slowly.

"You might want to cover your ears." Pyrrha suggested, as the screeching sound of metal tearing reverberated around them.

"Geez, girl!" Eliza called out over the noise. "You have telekinesis?"

"Polarity," Pyrrha answered, once the door was off its hinges. She lowered it slowly down the ground with barely a thud. "I can only affect metal."

"Which makes up nearly every weapon and building in the world." Eliza deadpanned, stepping into the next room.

"I… guess," Pyrrha muttered, rubbing her foot on the ground nervously. "I don't use it much. It's not like it works on Grimm or if people use a weapon made of something besides metal."

This was a sore spot for her.

She was already a gifted fighter and rarely ever used her Semblance. Sometimes in tough matches, she used it to slightly alter the course of attacks so they barely missed her. Yang was the most recent example of that. People already called her the invincible girl in the ring. If they knew she had the power to completely control their weapons, no one would ever compete against her. They would only put her on an even higher pedestal.

"Keeping yourself well-rounded is something everyone needs to learn." Eliza agreed, leading the way. "I'm sure some people are jealous of your skills."

"Maybe." Pyrrha answered diplomatically.

"Hah." Jaune laughed, earning glances from the other two. "Pyrrha's one of the nicest and sweetest girls I know. No one could hate her. The only reason she's so good is all the time she puts into her training. Even then, she still finds time to help others out." He put his arm over her shoulder. "Anyone who says anything bad about her will have to answer to me." He pointed to himself with his thumb on his free hand.

Pyrrha held up a hand to her mouth, a smile forming and instantly feeling better.

"Good to see you two get along." Eliza commented, making eye contact with Pyrrha and winking. That only made the poor girl flush crimson. "I've seen partners who never could and it leads to their team falling apart."

"Jaune's a greater leader, friend, and partner." Pyrrha confirmed.

"Aw, love you too, Pyr." That boy really had no idea what his words did to that girl.

"Looks like this is the check in room." Eliza commented, getting a little sick at how sweet those two were getting. She was surprised those two weren't banging constantly. Her knuckles rapped against a large wall of glass. Due to the lights behind it being off, they couldn't see what laid beyond. "Reinforced glass, huh? I doubt an Ursa would be able to break through something this thick."

"So they wanted to keep people out?" Jaune asked.

"Probably, but it could be used to keep something in." Eliza walked to the far side to another metal door. "Pyrrha, if you please?"

"On it!"

Eliza and Jaune covered their ears to avoid the teeth rattling sound as Pyrrha tore the door down. The three of them then walked into the large dark room behind the glass and held up their flashlights.

"Hah," Eliza said triumphantly. "Nice, it's the computer room. Find a light switch and see if it works. If it does, we won't just have to guess what's on the hard drives here."

They fumbled around for a minute until Jaune eventually located a switch. The lights came on along with the sound of a fan. The room had a row of monitors hooked into a wall, chairs in front of each one, a table in the middle of the room, and rows of file cabinets. Everything was covered in dust. It seemed the lab really was deserted.

"I'm going to see what I can find here. Can the two of you start checking out the rest of the lab? See if there's anything else that might be useful?"

"Like mutants?" Pyrrha joked and Jaune turned to her in horror.

"It's dialogue like that which makes you the first one to disappear." Jaune warned her.

"Stick together then," Eliza suggested, hitting the power button on one of the monitors. A grin formed on her face when the system began to boot up. "I'll be here for a while. Probably have to hack their security system."

She said this as she pulled out a small computer and a connector from her backpack.

"Let's go this way." Jaune suggested to Pyrrha, who nodded.

The two of them left Eliza to check out another hallway as well as the adjacent rooms. The first room looked to be sleeping arrangements. Bunk beds, three high, lined the wall with dusty chests next to each one. They split up and checked out the trunks systematically. The dust was just as thick here as it was in the rest of the facility.

As they were about to leave, a sudden female shriek echoed around the room. A second later, Eliza burst into the room, gun drawn and ready to take action.

"What's happening, Pyrrha?!" She yelled. The scene that met her was Pyrrha standing back staring at the bed in the corner and Jaune scuttling backwards on the floor, gasping. "Oh, sorry. I heard a female scream and thought… never mind. What happened?" She asked again.

"Sk-ske-skeleton!" Jaune answered, stumbling over the word. Eliza holstered her gun and stepped forward.

He was right.

Lying in the bed was a single skeleton, not sun bleached, and covered in dust.

"Someone trapped here?" Eliza muttered and pulled back the sheet. "Ah, no." The bed was stained tan with some dried liquid. "He was silenced."

"That's… horrible." Pyrrha looked pale. Jaune had turned green.

"Sorry," Eliza apologized. "I should have warned you there might be scenes like this."

Jaune gulped and stood up.

"We have to see stuff like this eventually, right?" Jaune asked. "As Hunters if… we are late…"

Pyrrha looked as uncomfortable as he did, but knew Jaune was right.

"Yeah," Eliza confirmed. "It's not pretty and it's not something you should get used to. But, as Hunters, you have to remain strong regardless of the situation." She gestured to the door. "Shall we get a move on?"

"What about hacking the computer system?" Pyrrha asked, following her.

"My computer does it remotely," Eliza answered, holding up her Scroll. "It will notify me when I'm done."

"Let's hope there aren't any more surprises." Jaune muttered and Pyrrha secretly agreed with him.

"Isn't that something someone would say in a horror movie?" Pyrrha asked, smiling. Jaune's eye's widened and he face palmed.

"Great," He moaned. "I joined in on the jinx."

"Come on, you big baby," Eliza told him. "It's not like zombies exist and this place hasn't seen movement in years. Grimm and bandits hiding out would at least disturb the dust." She stopped at a pair of large doors leading to another room and waited for Pyrrha to unlock them with her Semblance. Stepping inside the darkened room, Eliza fumbled around the wall until she found the light switch. "The most we will find is damaged elec...tron…ics…"

She stopped without warning, causing Jaune and Pyrrha to glance at each other in concern.

"Okay, zombies might be possible."

"What?!" They cried out and looked around the corner of the door into the room.

"This is… disturbing." Pyrrha mumbled in obvious distaste.

"See!" Jaune declared, though his heart wasn't into it. "I told you something like this would exist. Merlot was trying to create super people or something and ended up locking the zombies down here."

The room was full of equipment that began to stir to life. Lights flickered and gears turned. There were computers and consoles on one side of the room, but it was the other equipment that was the cause of their reactions. Large cylindrical containers were lined up in rows with tubes attached to the top. The bottoms were cemented into the floor. They were full of a dark green liquid, which began to bubble as all the electronics warmed up. Something else was inside each one, differing from container to container. It only took a few seconds for the three of them to identify what they were.

It was Grimm.

More specifically, segments of different Grimm.

One of the nearest containers had the upper half of a Beowolf, minus an arm. The one next to it, the leg of an Ursa. After that was the poison stinger of a Death Stalker. Each container had some part of some type of Grimm. Eliza stepped forward and peered closely at a couple of the preserved segments. Jaune and Pyrrha entered the room too, but hung back.

"I thought Grimm disappeared after they died." Jaune said to Pyrrha.

"They do," She agreed. "Or they are supposed to."

"Whatever this liquid is," Eliza muttered, her eyes sparkling. "I bet it somehow preserved the bodies of Grimm." She clapped her hands together. "This is astounding! Do you have any idea what this means?"

"Zombies?" Jaune guessed and Pyrrha elbowed him in the side.

"One of the hardest things for a scientist to do is study Grimm anatomy." Eliza answered, ignoring Jaune's smart mouth. "Their bodies vanish into smoke. The smaller the piece, the faster it goes. Something like an organ separated from the rest of the body. Vanishes in seconds. With this, we could finally get a full understanding of these creatures. Maybe find weaknesses that we can exploit. This could push advancements by years, if not decades!" She rushed over to a console and began typing furiously. "There has to be some documentation on what it is or what Merlot was doing with this."

"This room gives me the creeps," Jaune muttered to Pyrrha, as Eliza worked. "What do you think?" No response. "Pyrrha?"

He turned to his partner to see her frozen in place, staring at one of the tubes. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she jumped. Her arm flew back and almost smacked him in the face.

"Oh, Jaune, s-sorry."

If the slight stammer in her voice was not clue enough that something was wrong then her slightly paled face surely did. At first he figured the place was getting to her too, but then he saw what was in the tube. It was a Grimm, fully intact, about the size of a small dog. Black fur covered its entire body and eight legs. A white mask covered its face and several red lifeless eyes stared into the distance.

A type of Grimm known as a Spyder.

"It's okay," Jaune reassured her, putting his arm over her shoulder and steering her away from it. "It's dead and not going to come out."

"I know that," Pyrrha told him stiffly. "I just… really hate spiders."

"Have you fought them before?" She nodded and shivered. Jaune knew she didn't like spiders, but he didn't know anything about this specific Grimm. He slept a lot in Grimm Studies.

"They are… difficult… They like to spin nests and their webbing is really tough. You get stuck in it and there's almost no way out. Usually, burning the entire area is the best way to get rid of them."

There was more to that story and Jaune knew he would have to figure it out at some point. For now, Pyrrha just needed some reassuring to get her back into her invincible self.

"Satisfying?" Jaune asked.

"So very satisfying."

"Check this out, you two!" Eliza called out from her computer.

They quickly made their way over to her and she hit a key dramatically. The monitor in front of her swapped to a video clip and began playing. An old man with a robotic, glowing red eye appeared. He had disheveled gray hair, a matching mustache and beard, and prominent eyebrows. Adorning a gray jacket with a high collar and a red shirt underneath, the man cleared his thought and looked directly at the camera.

"This is Dr. Merlot."

"I was right," Merlot declared through the static on the old video. "These Creatures of Grimm, they can't be natural. They are far superior to humans. Their composition, their physiology, it all directly defies the laws of this world. Oz said I was mad, but I knew better. I knew understanding them was the future of mankind's survival!"

"He knows Ozpin?" Jaune muttered and Eliza shushed him.

"It took years of work," Merlot continued. "The… unfortunate incident at Mt. Glenn slowed progress, but at last, I have harnessed the Power of Grimm into an energy source capable of traveling between worlds."

"What?!" Pyrrha and Jaune gasped, eyes wide with shock, whereas Eliza's narrowed.

"Compound NX-1304 has successfully slowed the Grimm decay to almost pure stasis." A 3D image of a molecule appeared in the upper right hand corner of the monitor. "By limiting the decay into only a few particles at a time, I can successfully convert them into raw energy. With this, mankind will no longer have to rely purely on Dust. The creatures we once feared could be used to power our cities." The video shook as if he slammed his hand on a table. "It was thanks to this discovery… that I discovered these creatures should not be part of our world. Something brought them here."

Pyrrha's and Jaune's eyes remained widened as they shared a look at each other.

"I always theorized there could be multiple worlds," Merlot continued. "Worlds were mankind has technology beyond what we could imagine. Primitive worlds using sticks and stones, and worlds where mankind may never have existed at all." He took a breath. "However, my experiments never bore fruition. Dust was not providing the necessary energy to the Gateway."

"What is the Gateway?" Pyrrha asked.

"Be quiet and listen!" Eliza hissed.

"It wasn't until my machines noted a reaction when a Grimm specimen escaped and was ultimately terminated." Merlot continued. "At that instant, I realized I needed to delve further into this theory. After countless failures, I discovered compounds that would slow their decay. After the fine tuning was complete, a major breakthrough occurred. Draining the life force from Grimm could be used as an energy source in addition to the energy created by Dust. When placed side by side, their functions served the same purpose. When combined, they react and cause friction in the form of a brand new type of energy."

Merlot, for some yet-to-be-spoken reason, smiled into the recorder.

"This energy provided the Gateway with the power to puncture the Veil between worlds! For one glorious moment, before the machine fried, I saw flashes of new worlds. Cities built on clouds, worlds populated by dozens of humanoid creatures, and worlds with living dragons. Places that have never seen or even heard of Grimm. To defeat your enemy, first you must learn about them. Gateway number two is in progress and will be operational within the week."

He paused for a moment.

"The Grimm Essence, as I have named it, does not seem to have the same components as normal energy. As a scientist, I hesitate in saying this, but all leads must be documented. There have been no indication Grimm could evolve naturally. They had to be created by something. If they indeed originated from another world, this hypothesis wouldn't be so unlikely. Rumors of a power unrelated to Semblances or Aura do exist. It is called… Magic. There is a possibility Grimm were created this way. As my experiments indicated, Magic is not supernatural, but simply a power we have yet to fully understand. I will research this in more depth once the Gateway is fully operational."

The video shut off and Eliza leaned back in her chair.

"So? Think it was worth coming out here?"

"If this Gateway thing works," Jaune replied. "We might be able to get them home."

"There are multiple worlds," Pyrrha pointed out. "We did consider that at one point, but how are we going to pick the right one? If Weiss was right, there could be infinite possible parallel universes."

"Knowing Merlot," Eliza answered. "He was working on something to navigate between rebuilding the Gateways." She checked her phone and grinned. "I broke the firewall and I'm in the system. Luckily his technology is years out of date. Things could have been problematic otherwise. Downloading everything I can relating to this Gateway, Controller, and Grimm Essence. Anything else is just extra. Don't think I can get store everything though. A lot of this is just order form documentation. He was always a perfectionist and counted every single piece of equipment and shipment."

"This Gateway," Pyrrha asked. "Do you think it's complete or that it even works?"

"We could check it out," Jaune suggested. "That is if it's even here; which it sounds like it is."

"I was about to suggest that myself," Eliza agreed. "Stairs are at the end of the hall."

"What do you think about this energy from Grimm… thing?" Jaune asked. "It's like something out of a Sci-Fi novel."

"Every living thing has tons of potential energy stored in their body," Eliza pointed out. "Plants and animals. Grimm have a completely different anatomy than us, so it would make sense any energy from them would be unique. What do you two think of Merlot's discovery?"

"Before we met Accelerator and the others," Pyrrha said. "Magic was always just make believe. Something we told children to entertain them. When Touma told us about magic from his world, I was a little skeptical I admit. However, it's not like I can apply our rules to their world. They've showed the differences in powers. If magic is a different power source that follows different rules, I can go along with that. From what we know about Grimm, they don't need to eat or sleep. A body made of magic? That's a possibility."

"You have an analytical mind," Eliza complimented. "Tuned from all those sparring matches I bet. Trying to guess every attack available to your opponent and how to counter them?" Pyrrha nodded. "What about you, Jaune?"

"Got to agree with Pyrrha," He answered. "Though, part of me thinks magic is just something we can't explain. When I was a kid, my sisters told me magic made the sun rise and set. I believed them until I grew older. Couldn't this be the same thing? I want to believe it exists because it would be cool to have magical powers. I could fly, shoot fireballs, or maybe teleport."

"Heh." Eliza couldn't container her amusement. "Skepticism is important for any science. Saying something is magic and explains everything that way is just a copout for ignorance. Not saying a system or set of rules couldn't be called magic. We could call it anything we want. As a researcher, studying documents from centuries ago can be difficult because they understand things differently than we do. Merlot was a genius, lacking morals sure, but a genius nonetheless." She pushed open the door to another stairwell. "Now, let's take a look at the Gateway's progress."

"What're the odds of us finding a world full of something soft, fluffy, and not scary at all?" Jaune asked.

"I wouldn't mind that," Pyrrha added.

"Kids," Eliza huffed. "No sense of adventure."

"Pretty sure coming here counts as an adventure!" Jaune protested, causing Eliza and Pyrrha to laugh. Their footsteps echoed down the deserted hallway and slowly disappeared down the stairs.

The echo covered up several other footsteps that did not belong to them.

* * *

"Whatever," Accelerator huffed, once he had regained his composure. "I couldn't care less who you are related to; scram."

"You should watch your mouth," Raven suggested, her eyes narrowing slightly and her hand rested on the sword handle strapped to her belt. "People have lost their lives for less in front of me."

"Yeah, yeah." Accelerator rolled his eyes. "You've been watching us for a while, haven't you?" Her eyes didn't even blink as a response, but Accelerator took her silence as confirmation. "I'm not going to ask why you're here. I know damn well what you want. This is a warning and the only one you're going to get. Do not get in my way or you _will_ die." He grinned maliciously. "Or do you doubt me."

"I don't," Raven answered. "Your eyes don't lie about what you are capable of." She smiled. "I've gotten tired of seeing the weak eyes of the villagers. Living every day ignorant of the world around them. Only willing to fight when their lives are threatened. You… your eyes tell me we are a lot alike. People who have seen the true darkness of this world. As well as the futility."

"Everyone says that shit," Accelerator replied, bored. He kicked a stick and sent it flying at her head. With the least amount of movement, the Raven tilted her head to the side to avoid it. "Fuck off."

"Shame," Raven mused. "I thought you might be willing to reach an understanding."

"Not interested."

Accelerator turned and walked past her, planning to meet up with the others. His path took him within three feet of Raven, easily within attack range of that sword on her hip. He expected her to try something. There was no way she knew what his ability was based on what he did against the White Fang so far. Most people would probably assume it's some strength or shield Semblance. To his surprise, Raven let him walk by without trying to stop him.

"Do me a favor and don't tell Yang you saw me." Raven said to him. "The last thing I need is for her to chase me down before she's ready."

Accelerator's footsteps faltered slightly.

"I wasn't going to," He admitted. "Because I hate getting involved with other people's business. Now that you told me not to, though? Well, now I want to."

Raven lightly chuckled at that.

"Maybe that's what I want you to do?" Raven suggested and Accelerator frowned.

"Deceptive, bitch."

"Perceptive are you?" Raven mocked and crossed her arms. "But whichever you choose, I don't really care. You, on the other hand… I saw the way you fought. Never defending, bullets reflecting off your skin, and can tear or throw anything with the slightest touch. You aren't trained to fight, yet you can. Your power overwhelms your opponents, doesn't it? Thus there was no reason to learn."

Accelerator remained silent, but slowly turned his head toward her.

"Why not come with me?" Raven suggested. "Under my tutelage, you could master your power in ways you couldn't imagine. I have taught other… special individuals."

"You're sure overestimating yourself if you think you are even worth my time," Accelerator said. "And my patience is waning."

"There are benefits for joining my tribe," Raven told him. "The strong rise to the top and the weak submit. There's even certain… privileges offered if you accept."

Accelerator froze. A single eyebrow was raised, which belied his overall shock. There was no way this was happening.

"Are… are you propositioning me?"

Silence lengthened for a moment as the two looked at each other.

A weird sound escaping Raven's throat broke it.

"You really are a child," she stated, holding her hand up to her mouth to hold back the laughter. "Did you think people just throw themselves at others?"

"You daughter tries throwing herself at me all the time," Accelerator replied, mocking her. "Figured it ran in the family."

"No, if you want to bed me, you have to earn it, brat." Accelerator's face flushed ever so slightly and he turned away.

That was the moment Raven was waiting for.

In an instant while he was distracted, she drew her blade and slashed at superhuman speed. A speed which combined years of practice, natural talent, and Aura strength. The blade would have cut through a lesser being without issue.

Unfortunately, Accelerator did not let his guard down.

"Agh!"

Raven gasped, as her sword flew backwards away from Accelerator. Yet her grip on the weapon never loosened. It was only thanks to her training and experience she held on. Still, the pain of the sudden directional change strained her arm and it was only thanks to Aura the bone didn't break. She jumped backwards to avoid Accelerator's arm, every instinct refusing to let him even land a grazing blow. The second one foot touched the ground, she sheathed her sword. This wasn't a gesture of retreat, but an offensive maneuver. The handle of the sheath began to turn in a clockwise rotation to land on a red colored mark. This time, when Raven drew her blade, it was shining the same blood red color. Accelerator had barely taken a step towards her when she lunged forward.

The ground between them exploded.

Raven held up an arm in front of her face to protect it from shrapnel and then darted to the side to avoid Accelerator's hand reaching through the debris. She swung her red Dust blade underneath Accelerator's arm and it made contact.

Only to shatter.

Accelerator grinned.

Instead of only reflecting, he deliberately changed the vector calculations to destroy the blade. Wind whipped around them and Raven was lifted off her feet. Her eyes narrowed while her jaw tightened as she was thrown backwards, crashing into a tree trunk, and splintering it. Her Aura took a bit of a hit, but she had taken worse. Pushing herself up, she froze as Accelerator walked toward her.

On his back was wings made of swirling vortexes of wind.

The power was eerily similar to another, yet he couldn't have that power. Only females could.

"Your daughter's been pissing me off nonstop," Accelerator said in irritation. "Think of this reaction as me venting."

The ground beneath his feet exploded as he barreled forward. His hand pressed against her face and pushed her through the tree. The fragments of tree bark flew in every direction as Raven was slammed down onto the ground, forming a small crater. Accelerator straightened up, turned around, and started walking away.

"Just be glad that as annoying as your daughter is," Accelerator spat. "It would leave a bad taste in my mouth to kill her mom."

"Heh." Raven laughed as she sat up. "What's with that weakness? Don't tell me you fell for me after that."

"I think I threw up a little in my mouth."

"Aww." Raven stood up and brushed herself off. His blow did significant damage to her Aura, but he was holding back. That kind of power was something she wanted. Something her tribe needed. "Are you going soft? Listen, if I'm not your type, my apprentice is a completely different build. I'm sure she would suit your fancy."

Accelerator glanced over his shoulder and rolled his eyes. He stopped when a red portal appeared behind Raven.

"If you want to find me, look for Raven of the Branwen tribe. I'll find you. After all, we share a special bond now." With a smirk and a quick step back and she disappeared.

Accelerator stared at the spot for a moment and the continued to move. The last thing he needed was for the White Fang to show up. While he hoped that display of power would discourage her, like it did so many others, he forgot he was on Remnant. Women here liked those kinds of displays. Sighing to himself and feeling a headache coming on, he trudged along. The continual use of his power was exhausting him. He needed a break. If Raven continued to fight, there was no doubt he would win. It's just how much attention the sound of their battle would draw.

 _Bitch,_ Accelerator thought. _I didn't even ask for your name._

* * *

"I feel like we discovered alien tech," Jaune said to the others. "Welcome, ladies! To the Gateway room."

"How did you know?" Pyrrha asked, keeping a determinedly straight face.

"Hunter's intuition." Jaune answered, puffing out his chest.

"Very funny." Eliza pushed past them, rolling her eyes. "Quit goofing around and let's see what we got."

The room was perhaps the largest one they visited in the lab. On the far side, a giant machine in the shape of a circle outline was attached to the wall. The metal outline was roughly two feet wide and had countless wires, tubes, and devices heading outwards in all direction. A ramp led up and stopped right before the Gateway. As they got closer, they estimated the diameter of the inside of the circle was roughly ten feet or so.

Eliza whistled once at the sight in front of her, before going down a ramp to a computer console. Once there, she sat down and got to work in seeing if there was any information available. Jaune and Pyrrha, on the other hand, continued to inspect the room.

Lights hung from the ceiling and walls, but only a few had turned on when they flipped the switch. Most remained dark and a few spluttered a few times before going out again. Piles of parts and excess equipment lined the walls. Several broken metal plates were discarded unceremoniously in a corner. The machine next to the Gateway was what drew their attention the longest. On one side, there were several glass windows that allowed them to actually look inside the machine. Peering in, they found Dust crystals of different colors were secured inside their own separate compartments.

"He must have been collecting larger crystals." Pyrrha commented. "These are easily four or five times the size you see normally."

"It's not like he could ship them out here very often," Jaune pointed out. "He needed ones that would last. It's not industrial size ones though. I've seen the size of a few crystals in power plants."

"Those would attract attention," Pyrrha said. "These were probably the largest ones he could get and still remain under the radar." She stepped over the ramp and to the other side. "I'm curious about this one though. I can't see inside, but the main tube here," She pointed to a long cable. "Intercepts with the Dust generator at the top of the Gateway." Jaune's eyes followed her finger. "Then there's tubes coming from the roof and walls, which I assume is from the floor above…" Her voice trailed off for a moment. "This machine has to be the container of the Grimm Essence."

"Can't make anything out inside of it," Jaune told her, looking around the machine. He pressed a hand against the metal and quickly pulled it back. "It's cold. Well, I mean all of the equipment is cold, but this one is like ice."

Pyrrha frowned and placed her hand on it as well.

"Yeah," She confirmed. "Weird. Was it always on or is this essence naturally like that?"

"That's part of what being a researcher is about," Eliza called over to them. "Seeing things, questioning it, and then finding out why." She banged on the monitor and cursed. "This one's dead." Her eyes darted around the room and then she made her way to the Gateway. "Impressive piece of machinery. I downloaded its schematic, so I have a rough idea on how it works… sorry, how it's _supposed_ to work. This one isn't done yet."

"How far along do you think it is?" Pyrrha asked.

"Well, the main structure seems complete," Eliza muttered. "And the generators are up and functioning. A couple panels seem to be in the process of being replaced here and there." She pointed. "I have to assume after the first one broke down, they didn't start from scratch. They replaced the segments that broke and improved on the issues. It makes more sense to reuse what did work."

"I don't think we can move this," Jaune said. "Even if the White Fang weren't up top, it's not like we can carry everything ourselves. Nora might, but not us."

"We don't need to," Eliza told him. "Everything here can be replicated as long as we have the plans." Her eyes fell on her scroll. "And the download has just finished. Let's do one last quick look around before we head out."

"I think I found something!" Pyrrha cried out and held up a small dusty leather bound book. She opened to a random page and began reading. "Day 56. The Gateway has begun stabilizing. Dr. Merlot's theory of a new energy created from the void of Dust and Grimm Essence appears to have merit. For a moment, it was like looking through a window. Not long enough to see anything, but there was a world beyond it. This… words can't describe what we are about to accomplish. The Grimm origin may be discovered here and how to get rid of them once and for all."

Pyrrha promptly closed the book once she had finished reading the written log post.

"Nice to know some people who worked for Merlot were doing this for selfless reasons." Jaune commented.

"Or just wanted their name in the history book," Eliza added. "Hold on to it, Pyrrha. It may have some additional information. Anything else?" Pyrrha shook her head. "Well, we wasted enough time down here." She crossed her arms. "I doubt we can get out of here without fighting. It really depends how much the others distracted them."

"Didn't you say there might be a backway out?"

" _Might_." Eliza emphasized with frown. "Well, no point in trying to make things more complicated than they need to be. Let's head out the way we came and decide from there. Have to head up there anyway to grab the data."

A loud clanging sound caused her to jump.

"Sorry!" Jaune called out. "Metal tube."

"Be careful," She hissed. "Some of this equipment is still operational." Her eyes turned to Pyrrha. "Keep that journal safe."

"A journal you say?" A drawling voice called out, causing them to freeze. A red haired man stepped out from the door onto the ramp, twirling a cane. He was dressed all in blue and his expression was a combination of amusement and mockery. Behind him, several masked members of the White Fang flooded in, guns raised. "How about you be so kind and hand them over?"

"Roman Torchwick," Eliza growled. Jaune and Pyrrha rushed next to her, shields raised.

"I see my reputation precedes me." Roman gave a short bow. "Since you are a fan, I'm going to make a deal with you. Probably the best one you can get in this circumstance. Give me that Journal and the information you downloaded from here, and I'll let you go. Sounds good, right?"

"And if we refuse?" Pyrrha asked.

"Then my associates gun you down," Roman answered. "I thought that was obvious." His eyes narrowed in recognition. "Aren't you Pyrrha Nikos?" Pyrrha remained silent. "Yeah, I won a few bets back in the day before you were famous. Good times."

"Sorry," Jaune replied. "We can't give you this information. Someone else needs it and I'm pretty sure he would kill us if we didn't bring it back."

"Shame." Roman pulled out a cigar and lit it. "I do hate shedding unnecessary blood." He glanced over at the White Fang. "Go ahead."

The sound of gunfire rang out in the room.

* * *

"Think the Grimm is still here?" Touma asked Blake, who shrugged.

"Ruby said they were following a trail and might be out of range." Blake reminded him. "With Qrow there, I doubt they will have too much trouble."

"I really hope Wellen isn't causing trouble." Touma muttered, slightly angrily. "It's bad enough I helped out Roman unintentionally, but he's actually helping monsters attack people willingly."

"It's not your fault." Blake told him sternly.

"If we had stopped him earlier-…" Blake smacked him in the back of the head, cutting him off.

"It's not your fault," She repeated. "You can't control other people. Even if you could, it's not right. Everyone is free to choose their own path. It might be hard for some, but they have a choice."

"I guess you're right," Touma admitted, sighing as he rubbed the spot she had hit him. "I wonder if Jaune's team and Accelerator are having any luck."

"Knowing them, it's either going to end in complete disaster or a complete success." Blake's lips twitched upwards.

"Extremes, huh?"

"With Nora and Pyrrha on one team? Yeah."

They stared out across the forest from the city wall in silence after that. A pleasant breeze was blowing and, if their missions hadn't been a search and destroy one, this place would have been a pleasant outing. Blake tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ears; drawing Touma's undivided attention. She was really attractive and the stoic demeanor she had made her so much more mysterious. However, he had caught a few glimpses of the passion she had for her cause. Yet she wouldn't cross a line like so many others. If he could be a little bit biased, being from Japan, the cat ears of hers were really cute. Blake's eyes turned toward him and he immediately looked away to avoid being caught.

It was a futile effort.

Blake was no stranger to guys looking at her. Though she wasn't vain, she knew she was attractive. Being a Huntress was a tough job and required a lot of training, which gave her a very tone and athletic body. Pretty much her entire team was in a similar position. Guys considered them hot and would constantly ask them out. Yang was the only one who seemed to be interested in their advances though. Ruby was kind of young, Weiss would shut them down, and Blake tried to politely decline. It was something she had to expect and learn to deal with. Most of the time she just ignored them, unless they actually tried to get physical then all bets were off. A lot of the lecherous gazes were kind of disturbing, but she didn't mind Touma.

He was different.

Blake didn't have a lot of experience with romantic relationships, regardless what the rest of her team thought. Most of her advice and knowledge came from real life experience. But anything related to dating was based on common sense or books. The one person she loved, or had thought she loved, was during her time in the White Fang. He was her mentor, friend, and a little more. She had thought they would be together forever, making the world a better place for Faunus.

At first, that goal seemed within reach.

Then things began to change.

He became more violent, lashing out at little things, and would kill without needing to in self-defense. Fear and hate was his new method. People began to fear the Faunus, rather than respect them. The results showed his tactics were working, which only reinforced his ideology among the others. Blake couldn't be part of it. She had tried to reason with him. Tried to get him to change his ways and go back to being the kind person she knew. The one who trained her when she was just a little girl. It didn't work and he got worse. There was no other choice left. She abandoned him on a mission and went to Beacon.

"Are you okay?"

Blake jumped slightly. Lost in her own thoughts, she had forgotten where she was and who she was with. Her emotions must have showed on her face for Touma to notice.

"Was just thinking," Blake replied. "About someone I hadn't seen in a long time."

"Ah." Touma shifted uncomfortably. "Family?"

"Not anymore." Blake's tone changed and grew harsh.

This change did not go unnoticed, and so Touma wisely decided to drop the subject. It didn't sound like she wanted to talk about it. When her head suddenly turned toward the forest and the bow on her head twitched, he knew something was up.

"Did you hear that?" She asked.

"Hear what?" Touma focused but didn't hear anything besides some normal city noises.

"Not sure," Blake frowned and closed her eyes. "It sounded like… a howl? From a Grimm? It had to be pretty far away."

"Well, you have better hearing than I do," Touma pointed out. "What's the plan?"

"Not much we can do here," Blake answered. "Unless it becomes a threat to the city." She paused. "There's still a possibility I imagined it. Wanted to imagine my team taking care of the Grimm before it threatened the city."

"I don't think you're the kind of person to imagine something like that." Touma corrected her. "You trust your team too much. I bet you did hear it."

Blake smiled.

"I suppose-…"

 _BANG!_

A loud noise interrupted Blake.

"Please tell me we both imagined that." Touma begged, but he was already jumping down the wall.

"Gunshot," Blake hissed. "And it came from the village." They darted toward the city center. "How? We didn't see any Grimm patrolling the border. Only ones that could fly could reach here that fast, but someone would have spotted it."

"Maybe it's not a Grimm." Touma muttered darkly. Blake frowned, understanding his meaning.

An internal strife of some kind.

"Duck," Blake ordered in a whisper, pulling Touma behind a building after her. They peaked around the corner and her worst fears were realized.

"Get out," a White Fang member ordered, his face obscured by a mask, pulling a woman out of a house. "You are to wait in the town hall until we tell you otherwise."

"No!" The Faunus woman shouted back. "We told you before, we don't want your group here. We have enough problems without Vale's military raining down on us!"

"You don't have a choice in the matter," The grunt growled. "Don't make me shoot you or the brats."

"Mom!" A boy called out.

"Lock the door!" The woman called out before the stock of his gun cruelly struck her in back of the head.

"Geez. You should have just-…" He never got the chance to finish his sentence before Blake pounced. With a quick swipe, she hit the grunt in the same spot with her sheath. He fell like a sack of bricks. At the same time, Touma ran over to the woman and half picked her up, half dragged her to the house. A loud creaking was heard as the boy opened the door for Touma to bring her inside.

"She's okay," Touma reassured him. "Wrap her head up in a bandage. We will try to stop them from hurting anyone else." The clearly shaken child could do nothing except nod as tears welled up in his eyes. "Stay strong, and watch over your mother." The front door closed with an abrupt start and Blake crotched behind it. The White Fang member was tied up and gagged.

"There are several guys checking the other houses," Blake reported. "All armed. They have been planning this."

"Why?" Touma asked, helping the woman onto the couch.

"No idea. They have never gone after Faunus villages before." Blake rested a hand on her weapon and was lost in thought. "Do you think they are after the Grimm? You were around them for a bit."

Touma shook his head.

"They never mentioned that. Of course, they didn't tell me a lot about their plans. Makes sense they didn't trust me. I'm a human."

"Then I'm going to take a look and see if I can figure out why they are here." Blake said. "Stay here and keep your head down."

"No, I'm coming too." Blake narrowed her eyes and looked at him.

"Listen," she said firmly. "These guys are armed with guns. You don't have Aura to protect yourself and your hand won't reflect bullets."

"I've dealt with armed guards before," Touma retorted fiercely. "I can handle myself. You need someone to watch your back, Blake. Remember the first time we met?"

She did and her face flushed in embarrassment.

"Ruby's never going to forgive me," Blake groaned. "Fine. But please, stay back. We don't know the full extent of their forces." She cracked the door open and glanced outside. "It's clear. Let's go."

Before Touma left, he gave a reassuring grin to the kid. The two of them slipped out and ran behind a couple houses and then hid behind a row of bushes. Several more of the White Fang walked by, ushering more villagers into the town hall.

"Why are they doing this?" She muttered. "It doesn't make any sense. The only thing I can think of is they are looking for something."

"Or someone," Touma added and Blake nodded. "One of the villagers might know something. What about the mayor?"

"Best bet," Blake agreed. "On my mark, we rush forward and I'll knock out the two guards." Her eyes darted back and forth to make sure they were alone and let the other White Fang leave. She could feel Touma tense up next to her. Once they were clear, she drew her weapon. "Go."

She darted forward and the two guards had only a second of warning before she knocked them both out with the flat of her blade. Touma grabbed their guns and kicked one in the head to knock them out. Touma reached forward to open the door and realized something.

"It's locked."

"Stand aside." Blake stepped up and raised her sheath.

"There's no need to do that, my love. I'm right here to answer all your questions."

Blake's blood froze, her eyes widened in horror and her face became deathly pale. That voice was familiar to her. There was no way she would ever forget it. Her body slowly turned around to see a red haired man with two small horns walking toward her, flanked by around twenty White Fang members. The man was wearing a long-sleeved black suit jacket with red designs. The way he walked, full of confidence and authority, informed everyone he was in charge. That wasn't necessary as both Touma and Blake knew him.

"Don't you think it's time to end this chase and come home?" Adam asked. his hand on the sword strapped to his belt.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish to ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter. SilverFang is finally back so we can start blaming him again.**

 **SF88: Fuck you Dark.**


	29. Overcoming Obstacles

**Finally! There has only been one delay after another. I had some writer's block for a while and decided to take a week off from writing. Forcing myself to write would only make subpar work and make me dislike this hobby. It worked, but there was a catch. Getting back into the swing of things took a few more days. Eventually, I got back into my old groove and started writing good chunks at a time again. Then SilverFang was busy for a few days once I finished before he could review. After all that, we still finished. Things are wrapping up on this arc and a big event is about to occur. Someone is going to be unhappy.**

 **Alucardeverlasting: Do you know how hard it is for either of them to get someone? And you want to put them together? That would take work.**

 **Orakle: They may not end up together, but they are both strong-willed individuals.**

 **Machcia: Third comment in a row asking about them. Heh.**

 **Guest: Maybe? Find out below.**

 **ChancePluto: Assuming IT appears, I wonder how it would affect people.**

 **Ahsoei: Eventually. It's bound to happen.**

 **Inacio: Nah, no pairings are decided yet with Yang. There might not even be one.**

 **Guest: Raven likes strong guys. She probably wants him to join her tribe.**

 **Jayz21501: I can assure you a lot of people want that.**

 **Xperior: No! It's a trap!**

 **Guest: I have a theory where Dust comes from. It's considered supernatural in my story because of that. I do have plans for Accelerator's transformation. I figured the dragon sleeping within Touma is a good source of fear for Grimm. Not to give anything away, but RWBY season 6 was great.**

 **Awardedall: I try to deliver.**

 **ultron emperor: I feel like Vernal and Accelerator would get along. Well, that is relative, but they would understand each other's frustration at least.**

 **HydraLightning: Best way to shatter illusions.**

 **WiliamZ0: Both sides happen at the same time. Sure, neither interferes with the others, but doing one completely then the other makes you feel they aren't happening simultaneously. Falling into a world full of monsters isn't misfortune? Man, your definition must be insane. Never show your enemy everything you have at the start. Merlot and Aleister were bros. Obviously, they worked together. I think Touma would be the person to actually listen to Ozpin's side. The other's had were too personally involved. Everyone wants Touma to lose an arm. You monsters! Adam is so underused. I want to do more with him. Death to OCs! Death flags everywhere!**

 **Fernandamichelleraya: It's always easy to write them. They can get into deep conversations with snide remarks and little bit of humor. Nah. Merlot was a legit scientist and didn't bother with conspiracies. Raven would probably give her body for Accelerator to join her clan though, once she sees his true power. Heh, she would order Vernal to do whatever he wants to get that power. I feel Ruby reminds Accelerator more of Last Order which would prevent him going any further.**

 **Guest13: Neo is going to get a TON more screen time after this arc. I love her. I don't think Qrow got it immediately. It just sort of happened. Would have to check RWBY again. I got plans for IT and Touma's soul.**

 **Guest: Jaune already has healing and Neo illusions. If something comes to me I really want to use, I might figure out how to do it.**

 **Mr. X: 1) Think it's more of Touma's body is the container, the hand is the lid, and his soul is the bindings. 2) Touma is into older women. Once he sees her personality though I doubt he would like her. 3) I considered Aura a supernatural manifestation of souls. It just makes the soul normal. As for Penny, well… not sure yet.**

 **Missingmoney: People always underestimate Accelerator. Sometimes you just need someone to call out your shit. Get rid of those yes-men. Accelerator might make a snide comment about if Yang was his daughter and made those jokes, he would leave too. Still, he wouldn't go with canon Raven. She could get pretty persuasive once she sees his power.**

 **Gamator: Touma affects everyone he meets. I have big plans for him meeting Salem. Season 6 wrote the ending of SV. I know exactly where it's going.**

 **Sora with an S: Magic could easily be a science with different rules that is followed.**

 **Cthulujr: Exactly. He will understand and hate her.**

 **ShadowBloodedge9396: I just wanted them to meet due to shipping name: Yang's Nightmare. In the RWBY universe, you can ship anyone with anyone. Nah. If we sent Touma and Accelerator home already, that would be boring. I feel Glynda would be able to resist the Kami-yan disease. Penny is a mystery here.**

 **The Coke-aholic: Nah. Touma will convince Adam to sit down and talk over some coffee while Blake watches incredulously. Touma then convinces him to stop all the violence and the White Fang becomes peaceful. She then falls for him completely.**

 **Plague: Crossovers are fun, but hard to write. There's only so much you can do with OP characters. Weakening him by making his ability drain energy effectively keeps the time limit his choker would have for all out fighting.**

 **SamGuy: Thanks.**

 **AMTT94: Nah, everyone wants that to happen for good times.**

 **alaude hibari: For which pairing?**

 **A certain guest: She can try. There are people she can offer him. Nothing is off the table. Obviously that is what she wants. You seem to understand Raven really well. She's strong, there's no doubt about that, but there are people far beyond her. It's going to be hilarious when Accelerator tells Yang he met her mom. Only a few people know Grimm's origin. Since they were made by a god, they are magical. Aleister of course is doing something. We just don't see it. Coincidence. Sure. Nothing to do with Grimm. Black is just a typical color for unknown evil. At the end of your omake Touma would ask if a pile of money would come out so he can buy food.**

 **Gamecubenut: Raven saw something she wants and she will do what she can to get it.**

 **vampireharry the 2: Sorry it took so long.**

 **rougethebatfan11: Adam's Semblance is energy, easily enough. For magic from maidens, he would need to experience their unknown vectors.**

 **Boshwa: Getting more people involved in the fandoms is always good to know.**

 **Jiraiya223: Kind of? Since they don't know about Academy City's powers.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

Gunfire echoed through the canyon and bullets ricocheted off the stone walls.

One of the key advantages humanity had against the Grimm was the fact they had ranged weapons. Without them, flying Grimm like Nevermores would rain down destruction by releasing their feathers. Once they got big enough, those feathers could break trees. Most Grimm didn't have this option.

As the army of Beowolves leaped down the cliff, Ruby and her team had the opportunity to thin the numbers. Ruby wielded Crescent Rose in its gun mode, accurately sniping any of the Beowolves that would land right next to them. Yang, using her shotgun gauntlets, blew away any of the Grimm that would actually land directly on them. Her blasts sent them flying into the canyon walls. Weiss unleashed a couple waves of fire to burn a few and then shifted the dust cylinder in her rapier.

A wall of ice appeared behind them, trapping several Beowolves who had landed and were beginning to charge them from the ground.

"Good idea, Weiss!" Yang shouted over her shoulder. An explosion followed her words as another Grimm was blown out of the sky.

"It won't hold forever!" Weiss called out, already hearing the sounds of claws scraping against the ice. "At best, we have a few minutes!"

"Thin their numbers!" Ruby cried. Her weapon shifted into its scythe mode and was quickly followed by two decapitated Beowolves. "And keep them off of Uncle Qrow!"

That last order seemed to be unnecessary.

Steel clashed against claws as Qrow and the intelligent Beowolf exchanged blows.

Shockwaves erupted from each exchange.

It wasn't like Qrow didn't want to go back with his nieces' team; it was that he couldn't. Normal Beowolves would just charge with their claws out or try to sink their teeth into his flesh. Typical attack patterns allowed him to kill hordes of them easily enough. The difficulty was when they surrounded him because he could only block so many attacks at once. He figured that would be the case here. This intelligent Beowolf was much stronger and faster. If a couple normal ones got behind him, he would either need Ruby's team to provide some cover fire or he would be in a tight spot.

That was not the case.

 _It almost seems like it wants to fight me alone,_ Qrow thought, as he deflected one of the claws away with the side of his sword.

This Beowolf wasn't charging forward and reaching out to disembowel him like a normal one. Instead, it approached him on its hind legs and made systematic attacks, alternating between left and right blows. Almost like it was using swords or daggers instead of natural claws. The speed and power was far beyond typical Grimm and Qrow was hard-pressed to stand his ground. Each time the claws collided with his blade, he could feel the power ripple through his arm. Taking a blow head on would not end with him coming out unscathed.

What piqued his curiosity the most, to the point it was almost distracting, was how the other Beowolves passed him by and went for the others. They normally didn't have a higher plane of thought like that. Usually they would just attack the nearest person they saw unless someone was already surrounded. These seemed content to letting the intelligent Beowolf take him down while they took down the rest. This was actually a smart idea. Let the leader hold off the strongest enemy and allow the others to wipe out his reinforcements.

 _This would be great if I wasn't on the receiving end of this,_ Qrow thought angrily.

A Beowolf rushed past him too close for comfort and his body moved out of instinct. His blade came down and slashed the Grimm in half. That movement had left him vulnerable for a fraction of a second.

That was enough.

The Beowolf leader brought down a claw and Qrow's danger sense rang out. He pushed himself backwards with his foot, not caring about proper stance. His reaction time was virtually instantaneous, being honed by years of fighting. The claw grazed his shoulder, tearing his shirt like it was paper. His skin was barely touched by the claw. Even with the monster's increased strength, it wouldn't have done much damage. His Aura would have absorbed the little bit of force even if it did.

Pain shot through his shoulder as if he had been shot.

"Shit!"

The word escaped his lips as the burning spread from the place the Beowolf had touched. Qrow jumped to the side to avoid another claw aimed directly at his chest. He brought his sword down on the arm and it barely sunk through the skin. It felt like he was trying to cut through steel. There was still a little damage, indicated by black blood on his blade. The Beowolf howled, but it seemed to be more in anger than in pain. Qrow took the opportunity to glance at his shoulder. The torn shirt allowed him to see the wound directly.

A small amount of ice coated the place where the Grimm touched him. His skin had a slightly blackened look to it, like it had frozen. It was fading away and Qrow made note of his Aura healing the damaged tissue. This wasn't good. One well placed hit, even if it didn't break through his defense, could incapacitate him for a bit. Even a few seconds would be fatal in a fight with something as strong as this Grimm was.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby yelled, having noticed his cursing. She bolted to the side at superhuman speeds, slashed one Beowolf in half, shot another, and used the push back from the high caliber round to knock her towards two more, which she decapitated with a well-placed swing.

"I'm fine, squirt!" Qrow answered, not taking his eyes off the Beowolf leader. "How are you three hanging on?!"

"There's no end to them!" Weiss screamed, as the wall of ice began to break down. She shot a ball of fire at one Beowolf and then used a Glyph to propel another back as it tried to flank her. Then she jabbed another one between the eyes, causing it to collapse in front of her.

"We need to get out and regroup!" Yang added, delivering a bone shattering punch into the gut of one of the Grimm, sending it barreling into three more.

The three of them were guarding each other's back, but the Grimm horde was virtually endless. They were trapped and surrounded. For each one that fell, another two took would rise and take its place. They began to accumulate bruises and tears on their clothes from the claws. Aura protected them from the worst of the blows, but it could only protect so much. They were getting tired from constantly fighting and that was on top of hike to get here in the first place. Weiss was probably low on several types of Dust, as she had to repair the ice wall and continued to blast groups with fire.

"We need to warn the village!" Qrow ordered. "I have my hands full with just this-…" His words were cut short from the metal clanging when his sword caught the Beowolf's claws. Blade met claws and another round of shockwaves boomed around them. Even with him unable to finish the sentence, the others knew what he was about to say.

Ruby and Yang especially didn't take the news well.

"We aren't leaving you behind!" Ruby yelled immediately. "There's no way we will leave anyone!" Spinning on the ball of her foot, she whirled around and cleaved through several more Grimm drawing near.

"Don't even suggest that again!" Yang roared, punching a Grimm directly in the face. The sound of bones shattering followed right afterwards.

"He's got a point." Weiss informed them. Her eyes traveled to the ice wall that was about to break. Cracks were covering most of it. There was also barely in any ice dust left in her weapon.

"No!" The two sisters overrode her.

"Our duty is to protect that town first!" Qrow scolded, trying to keep his footing as the intelligent Grimm kicked out at his leg. The Grimm was learning as it fought and was fighting more and more like a human. It was rather unnerving. "They have to be warned. I'll hold this guy off as you three get out of here."

"Very… noble," the Grimm coughed out. A weird sound was emerged from its throat, almost like it was coughing something up.

It took a moment for Qrow to realize it was laughing.

"Something funny?"

"Remember… last man… to say that." The Grimm licked its lips. "Tore him… in half."

"Bastard." Qrow's eyes narrowed and he increased the speeds of his strikes. Unprepared for the sudden attack, he managed to get a good blow into the Grimm's shoulder. Again, he felt the blade break the skin but didn't get any further that it otherwise should have. There was still blood and the fact the Grimm could be injured was a glimmer of hope in their situation.

"We need a plan," Ruby told the others, as Qrow's battle with the boss continued. They were holding their own due to their formation, but the Grimm were continuing to come. The second one broke through, pandemonium would arise and they would get swarmed. "I could carry someone up the side of the cliff with my Semblance-…" She stopped talking for a moment as she cut down another Grimm. "But that would leave two behind."

"You could leave me," Yang suggested. "Uncle Qrow and I can handle ourselves for a bit." She punched a claw away from her and then kicked a Grimm in the stomach.

"Don't be stupid," Weiss snapped, impaling her blade multiple times into the chest of a Beowolf before it lifelessly fell in front of her. Sweat poured down her face and her clothes were torn in several places. Out of all of them, her stamina was going to reach its limit first. "You two would be swarmed the second we stepped out of this formation."

"Then why don't you just fling us up there with one of your glyphs," Yang snapped back in irritation. Even while talking, they couldn't look at each other. Their focus had to be on the incoming Grimm.

"…fling us up?" Weiss's eyes flicked up to measure the height. It was a rough estimate, but that was all she could manage before being swarmed by more Grimm.

"Weiss?" Ruby found time to glance over her shoulder for a moment. "Can you do that?"

Weiss didn't say anything for a moment. Her attention occupied by three Grimm she was struggling to hold back. Blasting one of them with fire and quickly piercing the remaining attackers with her rapier.

"I think I can," Weiss admitted. "I have plenty of Gravity Dust, but for four people? We need to be stacked together."

"Gotcha." Ruby beamed at her partner and best friend. Weiss would deny the second half of that if she said it out loud so she merely thought it. "Uncle Qrow! We have a plan!"

"Do it, brats!" That was his only response.

"On the count of three!" Ruby called to her teammates and made a slight gesture to Qrow.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw that two-fingered gesture. It was a familiar gesture and one he knew quite well. It was one he used to give her when the two of them snuck out for some bonding time when her dad or Yang grounded her for doing something bad. He took her out to one diner in town most of the time until she was older and then they went out and fought Grimm. He was such a good uncle. She learned a lot from him and everything he taught her became useful eventually.

"One…two… THREE!"

On three the girls and Qrow jumped backwards to meet each other, firing their weapons to keep any Grimm from approaching. Qrow's shotgun blast hit the leader of the Grimm in the stomach full force. While it wasn't strong enough to kill it, that amount of raw power at point blank stopped its momentum and even pushed it back tad bit. Ruby fired a few bullets, Yang unleashed her own shotgun shots, and Weiss flung a wave of fire. Their backs all pressed up against each other and the sounds of the mechanisms in Weiss's rapier began to move.

A white rune formed under the four of them and began to spin as Weiss ran her finger along the rapier's blade.

White turned to black as she added the Gravity Dust.

The Beowolf leader had to know what Weiss's Glyphs were. She had used them multiple times in the fight. However, it was mostly to conjure ice shards, flame, or barriers. There was no way it could know what Weiss planned to do. Instinct trumped knowledge in this case. It knew they were planning to try something and it wanted to cut them off. Snarling in a very Grimm-like manner, it fell to all fours and charged. The claws were less than a foot away when Weiss released the rune. Creating a repelling force between it and them, the four of them were shot up into the air. Being a perfectionist, Weiss added a slight angle in propulsion so they would fly out of the canyon and land on the ground, rather than just falling straight back down.

"Woooo!" Yang cried out in excitement.

"Awesome plan, Ice Queen," Qrow complimented.

"We still have to land!" Weiss reminded them. "This brings back so many bad memories!"

"But our initiation was awesome!" Ruby contended.

Everyone split apart from each other in the air and used their own version of a landing strategy. Yang shot off a few blasts behind her to give herself more horizontal momentum and slid across the ground. Weiss conjured a few glyphs to use as makeshift stairs. Ruby spun around at high speeds and the moment her foot hit the ground she flew forward and then looped around to stop near Weiss. Qrow just landed on his feet, bending his knees to absorb the impact.

"Looks like we have a few stragglers," Commented the adult, gesturing to the Beowolves still on the ledges. "Really, this entire mission turned out to be such a pain."

"We can handle these, no problem," Yang replied. "Especially now that we aren't surrounded."

"It will also take the ones down there some time to get back up," Weiss added. "The only slope is supposed to be on the farsi-…"

Her words were cut off as the sound of claws scraping against stone. The Grimm near the canyon edge separated and a large black Beowolf jumped out. It landed on all fours and the stood up on its back legs.

Red eyes watched them angrily.

"Good job, Weiss." Yang said.

"It's not my fault!"

"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby crotched slightly in her starting combat position.

Qrow hesitated for a moment. This Grimm was in a league of its own. The hide was difficult to cut, but wasn't impervious to damage. It wasn't like the town didn't know about it. Their report would only cause a panic and attract even more Grimm. Still, they needed to have the cannons ready and they might be able to take it out with them. However, they just forced a large number of Grimm into a position where they can't spring out and surround them. There really wasn't a better opportunity to try to kill this thing.

"Ruby," He said at last. "You're the fastest one here. I need you to warn the town about this. Yang, Weiss, and I will try to take care of it now, while we have the upper hand. If we fail… the town may need to be evacuated and the defense is up to you and the rest of the team."

"But-…!"

"No, buts," Qrow snapped back. "You're the only one fast enough to give the town time to prepare. We can't run back with this thing on our trail."

Ruby didn't want to leave everyone behind and her eyes met her teammates. Weiss nodded slowly, agreeing with Qrow's plan. Yang smiled and gave a thumbs up.

 _We got this._

"Okay," She finally relented. "But I will never forgive you if you don't come back."

"When have I ever not come back, shrimp?" Qrow laughed, but there wasn't much entertainment in his tone.

With one last look, Ruby disappeared into the trees in a flash of rose petals.

Qrow, Yang, and Weiss stepped forward and raised their weapons as the intelligent Beowolf held out its arms. Wordlessly, the others began to move forward.

"You won't…escape."

* * *

"Get down!" Jaune yelled, raising his shield as he dove for cover behind the ramp. Pyrrha and Eliza didn't need much pushing on his part and were already moving. Gunfire ricocheted off the machines, floor, and walls soon after.

"Can't you animals hit anything?" Roman demanded, leaning on his cane "Try not to damage the machines any more than necessary. Aim then shoot. Don't just flail wildly."

Jaune gulped.

The good news was that the number of shots firing had dropped. The bad news? If any part of their body stuck out, it was immediately shot at. Jaune's shield could protect most of his body, but it would take time to reach them without exposing his limbs. Rushing would allow him to reach them faster, but his legs would be wide open. One well-placed shot and he would be a sitting duck.

His head shifted as he glanced over at Pyrrha and Eliza. Pyrrha met his eyes, her back pressed against a machine blocking her from view of Roman's forces. Eliza was coaching down next to the gate, gun drawn. Both were much further away than he was. Pyrrha could probably take them all if she tried, but Jaune doubted she could protect Eliza from random ricochets. His eyes scanned the room as the White Fang slowly, carefully, made their approach.

An idea came to him...and he didn't like it at all.

 _It's the best course of action,_ he thought and signaled Pyrrha with two fingers. Her eyes darted toward the wall and then to where the feet were visible from under the ramp. She nodded and Jaune took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing._

His shield rose as he jumped out of his hiding place. Half a dozen bullets clanged loudly against his shield but that was all they were able to get off before another loud clang distracted them. Pyrrha threw her shield at an angle and bounced it off the wall. The shield then collided into the side of one of the White Fang, knocking him off their feet. As the shield rebounded off the grunt, it hit the wall and flew back toward Pyrrha's location. The girl jumped, somersaulted, grabbed the shield and threw it again. Another White Fang was down before any of them could react.

By now, they began to turn their guns at her.

"HRAAAAHHHH!" Jaune yelled the best battle cry he could muster, causing his assailants to falter for a moment. Everything sounded louder from echoing around in the lab.

This sudden outcry carried on as he rushed at the group with his shield still raised. This caught the nearest White Fang gunman off guard, allowing Jaune to slam his shield right into the man's face. The force knocked the man out cold while he began to swing his sword at another. He was attempting to slice the gun but, unfortunately, Jaune was not fast enough and had lost the element of surprise. He wasn't a speed or agile fighter and some of the White Fang members were rather well-trained. The blade was parried with the barrel of the gun and a foot was firmly implanted into Jaune's stomach.

"Oomph!"

Jaune gasped as the air was knocked out of his lungs. He fell backwards and slammed into the ground. Funnily enough, this wasn't a new experience for him. Cardin had knocked him down like this countless times during their sparring matches. It was weird that it was thanks to his bullying that Jaune knew how to respond in this situation. He rolled to his side as a bullet hit the ground where he had been a second before and kicked the White Fang in the shins. The man tripped and Jaune pushed himself up before slamming his shield into the grunts head to knock him out. Free for a moment, his eyes darted to Pyrrha and Eliza.

Eliza had disabled three gunmen with her precision shots and was expertly avoiding two others trying to shoot her back. Pyrrha had already cleared most of them and was pushing them back toward the ramp leading out of the Gateway room. Checking on his teammates caused Jaune to make a cardinal mistake. He took his eyes off his enemies. That brief moment of distraction cost him.

A sharp pain exploded on the side of his head and his vision blurred as he fell to the ground.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha yelled and her movements grew even faster, sending three more White Fang members flying as she prepared to make her way to him.

"Not so fast," She froze at the sight of Roman standing over Jaune. The tip of his cane pressed against the blonde's ear as he laid on the ground motionless. "One wrong move and his brains are going to cover the floor."

Pyrrha's body remained still except for her eyes, which narrowed in seething hatred.

"Now," Roman continued mildly. "Why don't you drop your weapons? I have some questions." When Pyrrha and Eliza didn't oblige immediately, his finger tightened on the trigger. "That wasn't a request."

"Coward," Pyrrha spat out, yet nevertheless complying. Eliza lowered her gun and finally let it clatter on the ground moments later. Roman nodded to the remaining White Fang, who started waking up their companions. Jaune, Pyrrha, and Eliza were just incapacitating, rather than aiming to kill.

"Grow up," Roman countered. "You may have rules in that arena of yours back home, but this is the real world. The winner is the one who comes out on top. The loser is usually dead."

"What do you want?" Eliza asked seriously. "You were looking for this place too."

"Exactly right," he agreed. "Glad there's an adult among you brats. An associate of mine discovered this place from an unlucky individual and I was asked to check it out. You know, keeping a low profile after that little mishap in the city not too long ago."

"Mishap?!" Pyrrha gasped. "Innocent people died because you brought Grimm into the city!"

"Calm down," Eliza muttered. She was angry too, but Pyrrha's outburst wasn't going to help anyone. "Do you even know what this lab is for? Or did your puppet masters send you in blind?"

"I was asked to learn what was going on here," Roman stated unabashed, pulling out a cigar and lighting it one hand. The other was unmoving from its position on the cane's trigger. "So, tell me what's going on and pass over all the information you have."

Pyrrha glanced at Eliza anxiously, who kept a straight face, refusing to give anything away.

"I'm not going to ask again," Roman stated firmly. "If I have to, this boy is never going to wake up."

Pyrrha felt her body tense up even more than it already was. Jaune was unconscious and probably low on Aura. Roman wasn't a slouch and hit him when he was unprepared. She still had her Semblance as a last resort and Roman's cane did have some metal parts. There was a chance she could yank it from him without it going off on Jaune. However, with his finger so tightly clamped to the trigger, there was a good possibility it would go off.

Pyrrha would not risk his life that carelessly.

"This is an old Merlot Lab," Eliza finally answered and Pyrrha gaped at her.

She had expected some kind of lie or delay tactic. Anything really. Not for Eliza to give away the information immediately.

"Yeah, yeah." Roman waved his hand dismissively. "That much was obvious. His logo was plastered all over the place." He jabbed his cigar at the Gateway. "That is what I'm interested in. It seems like the lab was designed to work on that project."

"It's a Gateway," Eliza continued. "Merlot was researching alternate dimensions. You know him, trying to push science to the extreme. He even had some crackpot theory that the Grimm were from another world."

It finally dawned on Pyrrha what Eliza was doing. She was setting things up so that it would seem like they were sent here to discover what the lab was for too. The White Fang would see it that way at least. The problem was with Roman. He knew about Touma and the others. From the change in expression, Eliza's words told him exactly what Pyrrha knew they would. They were there to research how to get Touma's group back home. It was unclear how much Roman told the White Fang about Touma. Pyrrha couldn't see under their masks, but a few of them looked at each other.

"Interesting," Roman mused. "Does it work?"

"Seems there were some documented cases of successful viewing," Eliza continued. "And he's using some weird power source."

"Maybe something to do with the Grimm in those containers?" Roman prodded.

"Maybe; I haven't had time to actually go through everything. It blew up after the first attempt and second one was never finished."

"Shame." Roman glanced over at the White Fang members. "Well, that gate's too big to move without equipment. Especially with these mutts, they would just break it. And, frankly speaking, I'm not being paid enough for this crap." He puffed on his cigar and blew some smoke into the air. "Give me everything you have on this. Data, research papers, engineering diagrams, I don't care. Just make sure it's all of this, otherwise blondie here is going to find out what life's like without a head."

"You wouldn't," Pyrrha hissed. If Roman harmed a single hair on Jaune's head, he would regret it. Right now she had to force herself not to move. Her eyes did dart toward Eliza, who was staring back at Roman resolutely.

"You'll let us go if I do?" Eliza asked.

"Maybe." Roman shrugged. "I would at least be in a good mood then." His eyes narrowed and he smirked. "There's a chance that way. If you want to be a hero _, the boy dies_." He was deadly serious and Eliza sighed and rubbed her face with her hand.

" _Fine,_ " Relented the woman with a sigh, though it sounded like she wanted to spit on him. "I need to use that terminal over there. Can I trust you won't have me shot in the back?"

"I do hate wasting perfectly usable resources," Roman stated and waves his hand forward, sprinkling ashes of his cigar over Jaune. Pyrrha was shaking in rage. "Now, why don't you get to work? My generosity only lasts so long."

"What are you doing?" Pyrrha whispered under her breath, moving her lips as little as possible.

"Saving us all," Eliza muttered back, equally as quiet.

She walked to the computer and started typing, her fingers a blur on the keyboard. Roman watched her closely and Pyrrha was aware of several guns aimed at her. Her mind was racing through possible ways out of this. It would only take a moment to use her Semblance to pull her weapons toward her. The problem was during that time she would be peppered with dust rounds from every direction. She might be able to get out by herself. Aura could take a beating and she was still pretty well off. The problem lies with Jaune and Eliza. By the time she tried to counterattack Roman, Jaune would be killed and Eliza could easily be hit by a stray bullet.

There wasn't a good option available.

"Hurry up." Roman growled, bored after about five minutes.

"Merlot encrypted all the files," Eliza replied, her eyes not leaving the screen. "Do you want only part of the data or all of it?"

"Keep smarting off and I'll blow a hole in this kid to stem my boredom."

"You won't get away with this," Pyrrha told him. "We stopped you once before and there are others that know you are out here."

"Which by the time any noticeable reinforcements arrive, we will be long gone." Roman pretended to yawn. "You got a lot to learn about the real world, Champion. The strongest don't always win. The people with the strongest will to survive do. I will do whatever it takes. Lie, cheat, steal-…"

" _Warning, unauthorized security breach!"_

Alarms rang out and red lights flashed.

"What the hell!?" Roman shouted and then his eyes narrowed on Eliza. "What did you do!?"

"Taking you down with us," Eliza replied, a dark grin on her face.

" _Perimeter defenses are offline. Primary user's code is no longer valid. Activating emergency containment measure. Lab will self-destruct in five minutes. Evacuation is advised."_

"Are you nuts?!" Roman demanded and stared incredulously at her.

"You weren't going to let us go," Eliza explained over the alarms. "Once you had what you wanted, loose ends had to be tied up. We would be executed by your goons. This information isn't for you, the White Fang, or anyone else working with you."

"Orders?" One of the White Fang grunts said to Roman.

"Retreat," He spat out angrily. "No point in dying over this." He waved them on. "Get going you mutts." His eyes narrowed at Eliza, who was still grinning at him smugly. His eyes flashed and he raised his cane. Pyrrha had just started to move forward when he fired.

Eliza dove to the side as Roman's blast hit the computer where she had been only a moment before. The explosion from the Fire Dust engulfed her right side. The door behind Roman slammed as he exited, following the other White Fang.

"Eliza!" Pyrrha cried, rushing over and crouching down to check out her wounds.

"I'll live," Eliza uttered, holding her right arm with her left. The skin was partially burnt. "How's Jaune?"

"I'm up," Jaune's groaning voice answered and he rubbed his head. "What's going on?"

"You got knocked out and the base is about to blow," Pyrrha answered.

"Oh… WHAT?!"

"I wasn't going to let them have this information," Eliza added. "We can't go out the way they did. The second we exit the lab we would be gunned down."

"You have a plan… right?" Pyrrha understood Eliza did what was necessary. Still, there was a small part of her hoping she had an idea how to get them all out alive.

"You mentioned Merlot would have a backway when we first entered," Jaune stated, sounding rather hopeful. "Please tell me you know where it is."

"As a matter of fact, I do." Eliza pushed herself to her feet with Pyrrha's help. "Let's go. We don't have much time."

* * *

 _Something's not right,_ Qrow thought, as he sliced through another Beowolf.

He, Yang, and Weiss were holding their own. Sure, they were outnumbered, but it was a lot more manageable now. Out in the open, the girls were able to shine. Weiss propelled herself using glyphs to dodge and counterattack. Yang was bashing skulls in as she plowed through the Grimm. Qrow could handle a large number of basic Grimm without issue. Usually he only worked alone to keep his Semblance from affecting his allies. Thanks to Touma, he didn't have to worry about it, though it wasn't helping him. Even against insurmountable odds, Qrow had ways to escape. He wouldn't leave his niece and her teammate behind though.

The issue was the intelligent Beowolf leader seemed content in letting the rest of its pack fall to their blades.

 _If it attacked me and forced a one on one confrontation,_ Qrow thought, swinging his blade in front of him. _This fight would be a lot more challenging. Normal Beowolves can't do much against trained hunters._ A frowned formed on his lips as he examined the leader. It was watching him and the girls, never blinking. The expression was a little disconcerting.

"Their reinforcements are almost finished." Yang huffed, noticeably winded and wiping some sweat off her forehead, but otherwise not quite running on fumes.

"Don't let your guard down," Weiss warned. "The mutated one is still there."

Out of the three of them, she was probably the worst off. Her stamina was a lot lower than the others. She was designed for quick intense fights, not long drawn out ones.

"I know, I know."

"She's right, Yang," Qrow agreed. "This one is in a league of its own."

The two girls nodded and they finished off the rest of the Beowolves. Well, the ones closest to them. Howls from the canyon and in the distance indicated there were more. Now all that was left was the intelligent one. A human might have had a look of disbelief or concern as their forces were wiped out, but Grimm did not have many expressions. This one was different. Qrow would swear its eyes were sparkling in amusement.

"You… look tired," the Grimm stated, as it flexed it claws. Its lips curled into an unmistakable smile.

"This was just a warm up," Qrow answered.

His words were the exact opposite of what he was thinking.

 _Fuck!_

Again, he underestimated how intelligent this Beowolf was. It was letting them run themselves ragged on fodder. Grimm that could be easily replaced. At the same time, it was probably examining how they fought and determining how to counter their attacks. Before it had only been facing Qrow and the fight had been pretty evenly matched. It must have wanted to see how different the others were.

"And now it's your turn." Yang added, stepping forward and slamming her fist into her open hand.

"Yang! Stop!"

Qrow's warning came too late.

By the time those words left his lips, Yang had already darted forward; her hands clenched into two tight fists. She covered the distance between them in seconds and brought a fist up toward the Grimm's skull. As if she had been moving in slow motion, the Grimm raised a clawed hand at the last second and caught her blow in the palm of its hand. Surprise flashed upon her face for an instant before being replaced by agitated resolution shortly thereafter. As the pack leader's other clawed hand rose up, she swung her other fist up at its stomach. Right as her hand made contact, she fired her shotgun gauntlet point blank.

The force alone gave the creature pause as its body lifted up an inch off the ground.

It landed with a dull thud and its expression shifted into annoyance. Yang had caused some damage, as there was a pretty impressive indention under the fur. However, its free hand remained poised to strike, which told her that she was fucked.

"Shit."

"Move!" Weiss yelled, as a black glyph formed between Yang and the Beowolf. Yang found herself flying back and away from the monster. This allowed her to bear witness to Weiss's glyph being shattered by its mighty swing. A single claw scrapped her arm as she soared away and exposed her to the intense burning sensation.

Her teeth ached with how hard she was clenching her jaw to keep from screaming out in pain. Ice crystals formed around the wound, forcing her to brush them off the blacked skin. She had enough sense to keep herself from losing her balance as her feet touched down on solid ground once again. Her Aura taking effort to heal the injury as she grinded to a stop a short ways ahead of the rest of the group.

"What in the hell was that!?"

"It's something unique to it," Qrow warned. "A single scrap with its claws will leave behind ice that burns. We can heal it, but a clean hit may prove deadly."

"So how do we stop it?" Weiss demanded. "Bullets barely hurt it and now getting in close is a danger too."

"You don't." The Grimm answered and leaped forward.

They barely had any warning. Its legs barely bent to indicate its movement. A claw was aimed straight for Yang, who raised up her arms defensively. Sure she knew about its power, but instinct tended to overshadow logic. Luckily, she had experienced teammates. Three white glyphs appeared in a row between her and the Grimm. They didn't cause much damage, but they slowed it down a tad bit as it broke through each one. It gave Yang time to roll to the side as the claws tore through the last glyph and sunk into the ground where she had previously been. Qrow took the opportunity to dart behind the Grimm.

The blade of his sword broke up into multiple segments and curved into the shape of a crescent moon. The handle lengthened and it became a full-fledge scythe in the span of seconds. Arching the blade back, Qrow brought it down with the full force of his Aura empowered body at the Grimm's neck. He felt a great amount of resistance and the ice began to encase his blade, but Qrow did not relent. Putting all his weight into it, he managed to force it down. His efforts proved worthwhile as he finally felt, the resistance give out as the blade sunk deep into the creature's flesh. With one last heave, the roaring Beowolf was silenced as its head was fully separated from its body.

The rest of the Grimm's body collapse as its head rolled away.

"Persistent thing," Qrow panted, leaning on the shaft of his scythe. "I need a drink."

"My arm still hurts," Yang complained, rubbing the sore spot. "It better not leave a mark."

"Don't make it worse," Weiss scolded, hitting her other hand before turning to Qrow. "It is done."

"Still Beowolves in the area," He pointed out. "But they shouldn't be as big of a threat now without this thing." He kicked the side of the corpse. "Luckily, while it witnessed out fighting abilities, it didn't understand teamwork. It left itself open to being flanked, relying on whatever its defensive hide was." He rubbed his wrist as his weapon collapsed back into a sword. "Much more and I might not have been able to cut through."

"Interesting. This is vital information for progress."

The three of them went still when they heard a man speak. The girls didn't recognize the voice, but Qrow did. What made it worse was where the voice came from.

"Did… did that head just talk?" Weiss asked, unsure if she was hallucinating or not.

"No way!" Yang dismissed with a wave of her hand. Qrow, however, walked over to it, sword still drawn.

"…Wellen?"

"Very good," the Beowolf head said in the same male voice. The tone was completely different than the one the Beowolf was using before. "It seems I was right that you would keep standing in my way."

"This can't be real." Weiss muttered.

"Is that thing immortal!?" Yang questioned, cocked her gauntlets.

"Do you understand what you are doing," Qrow demanded. "You are playing with forces you can't understand!"

Saying he was unnerved talking to a severed head was an understatement. However, he kept his voice as calm as he could, even though he raised it a little near the end. Thanks to his conversation with Touma, he learned to expect the unexpected when dealing with this. The talking Grimm reinforced that lesson.

"I understand far more than you do about this world thanks to Salem," Wellen answered. "Do you even know the origin of these creatures?"

"Salem?" Yang whispered to Weiss, who shrugged. She was staring at the head in disgust.

"What are you planning?" Qrow asked, ignoring Wellen's question.

"The same thing I planned back in my world," Wellen answered. "To do that here, I simply need to…" His voice trailed off while the eyes of the head widened in fear. Birds in the distance took off in every direction. "…what the-… fear?"

The head began to dissolve into dust before he could finish his sentence.

"Don't just vanish in the middle of something this important!" Qrow demanded and kicked it the remainder of the head in anger.

"Something's off," Yang said. "The Beowolves in the distance have gone quiet."

Weiss frowned and walked over to the canyon.

"They seem to be gone." She looked around and didn't see any more emerging from the tree lines.

"Something's not right," Qrow muttered, glancing around like Weiss had done. "Let's head back to the town. We need to tell the mayor what's going on."

The two nodded and the three of them took off as fast as they could go. He wasn't the only one who felt something. The girls felt something deep down too. The fear Wellen mentioned using the Beowolf's head was felt by them too. It wasn't much, but it was noticeable. That feeling didn't stop Yang from asking Qrow a question. One he really didn't want to answer.

"Who's this Salem person he mentioned?"

* * *

"Where are we going?" Jaune asked, following behind Eliza who was leading the way. They were running down a couple hallways they hadn't been in before.

"Merlot had a couple escape pods on the other end of the compound in case something like this happened," Eliza answered. "Paranoid, remember? That trait of his is going to save our hides." She glanced at Pyrrha. "Keep that data safe. It's all we have left."

"I won't let it out of my sight," Pyrrha replied.

When Roman and the White Fang fled, they forgot to grab Eliza's external hard drive that she had used to download all the information. Their skin was more important than the mission. That gave Pyrrha time to chase after them, grab the information, and meet up with Jaune, who was helping Eliza until she gathered the strength to walk on her own. Upon reaching a door by their guide Eliza, Pyrrha wasted no time in blowing it open with her Semblance.

Subtlety was no longer a requirement.

The room they entered reminded Jaune of one of those Sci-Fi movies. The place where spaceships had emergency escape pods that ejected in case the ship was going down. On one side, three cylindrical metal pods laid on tracks vertically and perpendicular to each other. The wall in front of them had circular metal that looked like it would slide open so the pods could escape. On the far side, behind a row of thick stained glass, several dusty computer monitors were lined up. Eliza rushed over to one, flicked the power switch and waited as the device hummed to life.

"Good, it works." Eliza's grin was a little forced as she began to type frantically on the keyboard. A good few seconds of this and the first pod opened. "Well, two of them work. The third one's broken."

"Only two?" Jaune asked. "But there are three of us."

"You two are comfortable with each other, right?" Eliza would have smirked if the situation wasn't so dire.

"Are…are you sure we can both fit?" Pyrrha asked, her face a vibrant shade of red at the implications. The pods were made for one person. "It looks awfully cramped."

"They will hold two in an emergency," Eliza explained. A light above the first escape pod turned on and the door to the pod popped open.

"How about you two go and I'll take the second pod since I'm the biggest?" Jaune offered. His ears were burning a little in embarrassment. Sure, he and Pyrrha were like family, but forcing her to squeeze into a pod with him felt wrong.

"I appreciate the offer," Eliza replied. "But I need to operate the controls and I doubt you know how to do so. No offense."

"No, none taken, you're right." Jaune nodded and turned to Pyrrha. "Guess I'll get in first?"

Pyrrha nodded and waited for Jaune to slip into the pod and laid down. Pyrrha took a deep breath to calm her nerves before crawling in on top of him; being mindful to not knee him in the stomach or...somewhere else. Once she was inside, she concluded that she had been right about the lack of space. Her body was pretty much flushed with Jaune's. The hard drive firmly clutched under her arm. Her face was an inch from his own and she was worried he would feel the sheer amount of heat coming from it. Her chest was right up against his, but their armor prevented him from really noticing.

"Keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times," Eliza said, standing over them. Her hand was on the door ready to close it. "Also, no inappropriate contact, even if you think you're about to die."

"W-what?!" Jaune spluttered as she laughed, slamming the door on them. Pyrrha simply kept her eyes focused on his neck; unmoving and refusing to look him in the eye. Jaune must have thought she was claustrophobic or something because she felt his hand grab hers. "Don't worry," he muttered. "We will be fine and outside soon enough."

"I know," Pyrrha answered, smiling in the darkness. "Thanks."

The pod shook and they braced themselves as best as they could in the cramped darkness. Suddenly, they blasted forward and a cry of pain escaped Jaune's lips as his head slammed into the back padding. That wasn't what caused him pain. No, it was Pyrrha flying upwards and slamming her head into his chin.

"SORRY!"

Meanwhile, back in the base, Eliza watched their pod blast off and monitored the screen to ensure there weren't any issues. Everything looked fine and she sighed, leaning back in her seat for a moment. She liked to be honest with the kids when she could, but this time she told one major lie. It was about the pods. Yes, the third pod wasn't working and there wasn't much she could do about it. That was true. However, there was a reason she had the two kids go together.

The second pod wasn't working either.

Eliza hoped she might have had a chance to run a systems check to figure out where the mechanical failure was, but to no avail. The issue couldn't be pinpointed and nothing she did was helping. She wasn't a mechanic.

 _We got the information and the kids can escape,_ Eliza thought, reaching into her pocket to pull out her wallet. _It's the responsibility of adults to help the next generation._

She opened it and glanced at a picture in it.

The picture was of her, a man, and two children.

 _Sorry, it looks like I won't be coming home._

* * *

"Adam…"

That name was the only thing that could escape Blake's lips as her eyes fell upon him. It hindsight, with all the White Fang around, she should have realized meeting him was a possibility. With everything else going on, the thought never crossed her mind. Now she was paying the price. He was standing in front of her, confidence oozing from him. All Blake could do was stare; her body frozen stiff. Next to her, Touma shifted slightly forward. He must have noticed she wasn't moving.

If he only knew how far back their past went.

"Blake…" Adam's voice, losing its rigidness, became filled with fondness. "It's good to see you again."

Blake, in turn, said nothing.

"I know we separated on less than ideal terms, but I know you could never forget about me."

"Who are you?!" Touma demanded, stepping between them. Blake was shaking slightly by this point. Whoever this man was, he was evoking some sort of past trauma. Touma wasn't going to just let him torture her. The guy was also vaguely familiar, but he had a hard time placing where. "Why are you guys attacking this town?!"

"This doesn't concern you, _human,_ " Adam hissed. "If you stay silent, I'll let you live for the past services you provided."

That condescending remark was all it took to jog Touma's memory of where he knew this man from.

"You're the White Fang leader back at Mt. Glenn." Stated the boy accusingly, shaking his head to help focus on the task at hand. "Why are you attacking this town? It's mostly Faunus. Isn't the White Fang supposed to protect them?"

"There's a lot more going on than what you understand," Adam told him curtly. "I'm here to bring Blake back to our side." He turned his full attention to Blake. "Don't you think it's time to stop your rebellious phase and come home? I miss you."

"I'm not coming back," Blake replied, her voice weak. Not to be confused for her usual quiet or soft tone she used for snide remarks. Those were the ones Touma was used to hearing when she replied to someone like Yang or Weiss. This was different, as if it was taking everything for Blake to just speak.

Adam began rubbing his head in exasperation.

"Why must you make this so difficult?" He glanced at the others, who were merely watching the exchange. "Half of you go and round up the rest of the populace. The rest of you, back up and give us some privacy. Keep the perimeter up in case the rest of their team returns."

"What if they try to escape?" One of them asked.

"I'll handle it."

The White Fang member saluted and they all quickly followed Adam's orders. One thing the White Fang stressed was discipline. They all needed to know how to follow orders. As their numbers were small compared to the humans, they had to fight smarter. Most of their training involved military style guerrilla warfare tactics. It wasn't like they could stand up to a kingdom's military in a fair fight. Atlas was especially difficult and they relied on a lot of hit and run assaults. It was only once Adam was left alone with Blake and Touma that he continued.

"Blake, I'm trying to be patient." He sighed. "Come back. I'll forgive you for running. You're young, impulsive, and I understand that. You needed some space."

"You don't understand!" Blake snapped, her voice rising as her resolve gradually started to return.

"No I don't!" Adam replied loudly. "You decided to leave out of nowhere! Abandoned your brothers and sisters in the middle of a mission! That would normally warrant death!"

"You aren't the victim here!" Blake retorted, her face a combination of fury and fear. "You want to know the reason I left?! The reason I gave up everything for a chance to start over and do some good?!" She took a deep breath. "It was because of you!"

"All I have done is fight for the future of our people!" Adam thundered. "We all have!" His nose flared as he took a deep breath, obviously struggling to keep his anger in check. "Everything I've done, everything I sacrificed, has been for the future of the Faunus."

"At what cost, Adam?" Blake demanded. "How many innocent people were killed because you decided to change your methods?"

"My methods are working."

The silence lengthened as the two glared at each other. Touma, the sole bystander caught in the middle, wisely remained silent. Those two had history and he didn't know about everything that transpired between them. All he had to go off of was the vague information Blake had given him about her past. The dots were starting to connect; slowly but gradually nonetheless. What Touma had established was that this man, Adam, had to be responsible for Blake leaving the White Fang. At the least, partially responsible as her voice echoed in his mind.

 _Everything changed. The White Fang started using violent attacks instead of protests._ _It was working. People started to treat us like equals… but it was out of fear, not respect._

"Yes," Blake admitted. "They produced results. But as I told you before, that route isn't going to last. We will push humans too far and they will strike back. That line may have already been crossed. If we want change… true change… we can't use fear to garner respect. We have to change their hearts and minds."

"We tried it that way," Adam said coldly. "How did that end out? Beatings, ridicule? It didn't work. This way worked. Businesses that refused to serve us now do so. Most humans won't attack Faunus in the street for fear of repercussions. Things are changing for the better."

"They serve us while their hatred simmers," Blake corrected him. "It will boil over at some point. I've been in Beacon long enough. I've seen interactions between humans and Faunus on both ends of the spectrums. Adam, at one point, you believed in a world where we could all leave in peace. What happened?"

"The world showed how unkind if truly is." Adam's hand rose and rubbed part of his mask over one eye. An instantly later, he jerked it away.

"So are you going to resort to the level of people who treat us badly for what we are, not who we are?" Blake continued. "What line has to be crossed before you go too far?"

"I will do whatever it takes to make sure my people have a future." Adam repeated.

"At what cost?"

Blake and Adam jerked slightly when Touma spoke. Both of them were so involved with each other, they had forgotten he was still there.

"This doesn't concern you, human." Adam said simply, his voice calm yet ice cold.

"When you attack innocent people, it does." Touma counted. "That's not even counting trying to kidnap a friend of mine. Again, at what cost? Will you start attacking children if it will give you want you want? Will you destroy shops of people who do treat Faunus equally because it would make others fear you?" He gestured to a village. "Will you attack a peaceful Faunus village to further a goal? Throw it into chaos?"

A vain throbbed in Adam's head at his words.

Touma had struck a nerve.

"Shut up!"

"Stop!" Blake cried, but to no avail.

His blade moved far faster than a normal human's eyes could follow. Blake knew that because she could barely follow the attack. Adam was not a leader of the White Fang for nothing. He was strong. Many Hunters fell to his blade, along with countless soldiers. His Aura had been unlocked from an early age and his Semblance was incredibly powerful. He could slice through Atlas military robots with a single swing. There was no way Touma would be able to avoid it.

Yet somehow he was already moving backwards.

Though he didn't get far.

"Ahh!"

A shallow cut ran along his chest. His t-shirt was cleanly split and a little blood began to trickle out of the wound to stain the remains of his shirt. If he hadn't moved, that cut would have been a little deeper, though still not fatal.

"That was a warning," Adam informed him, now in control of his emotions again.

"Touma," Blake whispered in horror, crouching down next to him. Touma was on one knee, holding his chest. "Please, don't get involved. Adam won't hesitate to kill you if you keep this up. _Please._ "

"It's just a small cut," Touma replied, trying to keep his voice steady to calm her nerves. It hurt like hell, but he had been through a lot worse before.

"This is your last warning," Adam growled. "The next time you interrupt our reunion my blade won't stop short."

"This is what we are talking about!" Blake yelled furiously. "He's a friend of the Faunus, someone who was willing to help our people for nothing in return. You attack him because he doesn't agree with you? The Adam I knew wouldn't have done that."

"I was young and foolish back then," Adam muttered. "You are too. In time, you will realize that way of thinking is nice, but not pragmatic. It doesn't work. How many are you willing to sacrifice for a futile effort?"

"It's not futile!" Blake took a deep breath before continuing. "Please, Adam, stop before this goes too far. Look at what happened at Mt. Glenn. How many innocent people were hurt from the explosion? Kids? People who never hurt a Faunus? Our own kind?"

"Lasting change requires some sacrifices," Adam told her. "We knew this wouldn't be easy. You understood this back then. You took part in protests where rocks were thrown at us. You acted as a scout for supply shipments. You even killed people before." Blake's body stiffened at this. "You aren't clean either Blake." He held out a hand. "I won't judge you, I even forgive you. My love for you hasn't changed. Come back to me, Blake. Like the old days. We can be together and fight for Faunus everywhere. You can even be by my side to prevent me from going too far."

Blake eyed his hand.

All reasoning told Blake not to go with him. Doing so would be her downfall. Everything she worked for up to now would be in vain. Her friends, her dream of being a Huntress, the fight to change the White Fang back to what it once was. Even though Adam told her she could be the voice of reason, there was no reason he would be forced to listen to her. Things would go back where all she could do is watch his decay into madness. Still, the hand in front of her brought back memories to when Adam was kind, thoughtful, and optimistic. Her hand twitched upwards, showing signs of its rise and Adam smiled.

"…Don't."

That single word was followed by a weight on her shoulder. Her head snapped to the side to see Touma with his left hand on her. His strong gaze bored into her fearful one. Slowly, he pushed himself up to his feet and stepped in front of the crouching girl. Adam took a step back, more in surprise than fear, while his expression hardened underneath his mask.

"You really are a fool."

"I've been called that before," Touma confirmed, turning away from Blake to glare at Adam. "Better a fool than someone who abandons his friends."

"Friend?" Adam laughed. "You hardly know her."

"Yeah?" Touma countered. "So what if I only met her recently? Friendship can happen instantly." Blake felt her heart skip a beat.

"I've known her for years. I accept her for good and bad. You only know what she's told you."

"So what?! We all have secrets. It takes time to open up and I'll listen to her if she decides to do so." His hands clenched into fists. "You don't accept her."

"Come again?" Adam's voice dropped and become dangerous.

"You… don't… accept… her," Touma repeated slowly. "You just want her. You want to change her to fit the mold that suits you best. To be a still imagine, a picture of who you want. You don't want the person Blake is; you just want her."

"I have had enough of your crap!" Adam swung his blades and blood gushed from countless slices along his arms, chest, legs, and cheek. None of them were deep. Adam was purposely holding back to try to scare Touma. To make him retreat. To show Blake she can't hide behind anyone else but him.

"Stop it!" Blake cried and pulled out her own sword. She pushed Touma aside and blocked two blows. Metal rang against metal and Adam ceased his assault.

"I see you are willing to raise your blade against me," Adam said softly. "Your time away has corrupted you."

"You're the one who's corrupted," Blake told him, determination resounding her in voice. "I'm going to stop you, for everyone's sake… including yours."

"I'll like to see you try!" He swung a blow horizontal and Blake blocked it using both hands on the hilt of her sword. "Easier to ask for forgiveness than permission."

Blake started raining blows down upon him, but he easily deflected or blocked every single one of them. Touma's eyes watched the exchange of blows, ignoring his own wounds. Not that they were extensive, hell he hardly felt them. That was likely due to how fast he was struck. His brain had not fully registered the pain and by the time it caught up, his adrenaline had already blocked it out. This gave him no edge in keeping track of the fight in progress. The blows were too fast for him to make out most of the time. It was usually when the two swords clashed that they were visible or they drew them back in preparation of a big swing.

Instead of focusing on the weapons, he focused on the wielders. Adam was clearly pressing an advantage. Each strike, clash, and parry, was slowly pushing Blake further and further back. This had restricted her movement to being centered around defense. The more he watched her, the more intent his focus on Blake became, the more he came to notice.

Blake wasn't fighting like she usually did.

Her style was more frantic and wild than what he saw back at Beacon. Each attack was usually calculated and she didn't like wasting movements. The way she was fighting now reminded him of how Yang was when she lost control. Fueled by anger. Though, Blake seemed to be fueled by more than just that. There was terror, panic, in her eyes. Emotions were driving her and against an opponent like Adam they were going to be her downfall. Touma frantically thought about what he could do to help. Adam knew about his hand and both of them were physically superior to him in just about every way. He would just be a hindrance to Blake.

As he was trying to come up with a means to help, something else caught his attention.

Adam's blade appeared to be glowing slightly.

The hairs on the back of Touma's neck stood up on end. He had no idea what was about to happen, but he knew it was _something_. Blake in her frenzy didn't notice and crouched down, preparing to charge at Adam, who had just sheathed his sword.

Touma reacted purely on instinct.

Adam swung his sword in a single swipe and a blade of red energy flew out at Blake. Her eyes grew wide, realizing her mistake too late. She knew what his Semblance was and walked right into it. The cleaving wave of energy was coming at her, though slightly off to the side. Because she started running, her center of gravity was off. Dodging was impossible and the blow was going to connect regardless of what she did. Adam probably measured the output so it would hurt her enough to knock her unconscious but keep her alive.

What she didn't expect was a hand to her side pushing her out of the way.

 _NO!_

Her voice screamed silently as her eyes swiveled toward Touma.

Time moved at a snail's pace in that moment for her. She was falling to the left as the red energy blade flew where she had been only a fraction of a second earlier. The ground was being torn up as the energy cleaved through it like hot butter. Directly in its path was a certain boy's right arm. Touma had jumped to reach her in time and was currently falling through the air, his arm outstretched from when he pushed her. Adam's attack was met with no resistance and sliced right through flesh in a similar manner as the ground it was gliding over.

The ground was dyed in red liquid.

Her nose was now assaulted with a familiar rustic scent.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The voice screeching from her throat didn't sound human.

Touma landed on the ground with a thud and Blake couldn't move in horror. Slowly, he pushed himself partially up with his remaining hand and looked her directly in the eyes. Blood flowed from the stump, coating his already tattered and stained his shirt. His face had grown pale and splotches of blood covered the right side of his face. Yet, despite these things, something in the way Touma looked at her felt...wrong. The pain was there, she could see that even in her current state. However there was something else there as well. Something that did not look like the gaze of a dying human.

It looked...it looked like the gaze of someone who was not done fighting.

He muttered a single word.

"…run."

Adam was the first to notice some of the drops of blood were beginning to move upwards.

Defying gravity.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish to ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter. Remember, everything is SilverFang's fault.**

 **DB: It was at that moment, Adam knew, he had fucked up.**

 **SF88: Ooooh, this is gonna be great. Oh, and by the way, fuck you Dark.**


	30. Inner Strength

**You're all in for a treat with another update already. I kind of had to continue this story because of the sheer number of comments about a single scene. Seriously, like 99% of you were ONLY focused on that one particular scene and what was to come. For some reason, it seems like you all hate Adam and want him to get destroyed by a dragon. Because of this, I seriously thought about writing this chapter in a way that you wouldn't get to see the scene. I scrapped the idea quickly enough because you, the readers, make writing rewarding. It's always great to know my stories entertain people. There will be one more chapter after this one to end the arc, so make sure all ship names are in by then. A lot of comments are just pointing out that Adam is about to get wrecked. There's really not much I can respond to these without repeating myself over and over with short responses. Understand I did read them, just didn't post the same tired response up here.**

 **M1nhTre37: It almost rhymed.**

 **Sergio644: The after effects are more interesting to write than the fight itself.**

 **Maelaeran: Remnant is a dangerous world. Deaths happen.**

 **Guest: Why would she come now? Actually, we know why. How would she come?**

 **A certain guest: There's lucky and then there are things beyond your control. No matter how careful you are, bad luck can still find a way to ruin it. If you let it control you, then it wins. There were some discussions with other authors I know about the dragons and if a different one will appear. We settled on how it's going to be done. Oh, the Grimm dragon has a purpose.**

 **Thanatos 2018: Don't think I want to make a sentient (Or at least one Touma understands) IB.**

 **JumpingToaster: Index fans know exactly how fucked Adam is.**

 **Ahsoei: Accelerator awakening to save someone besides Last Order? Could never happen.**

 **LL: Why do catgirls calm down with horror music? Most of those suggestions are something Yang would say. No one else would ever do them. Not without making a crack fic.**

 **Fernandamichelleraya: That… is actually well thought out and deep. That gives me a lot to think about. I was always going to have Nora keep hugging Accelerator until he got used to it. Index and RWBY need battle scenes to keep the plot moving.**

 **WiliamZ0: Hamazura gets all of Touma's luck. It took a while to work out how the dragons will show up, but I have an idea now. Touma has some misfortune here. He meets someone. Well, does Ruby know Touma unleashed the dragons? Oh, Salem knows now. Things will not be pleasant.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: Easily passed that with last chapter. To be fair on Adam's part, no one could predict Touma has a cheat skill. Isekai characters: Am I right? I remember when that episode with the gods came out. Everything fit into place.**

 **AznPuffyHair: Touma's right handed so he would naturally use it more often. Also, since it contains the IB, he's used to blocking with it. There are theories about the IB, the dragons, and how Touma can pull it back. Canon showed the IB goes back to Touma, so I know how I want this to play out. Hah! Yes, the portal had so many possible routes. I thought of having someone enter, but realized there are plenty of RWBY people here. So I went the partially completed route. When they make a new portal and test it later, that might be an opportunity to bring someone in. I actually have a way to fix the timelines between worlds. It will be explained later. Explosions? You mean…? NORA!**

 **Guest: Blake's going to need some alone time with Touma to understand what's about to happen. Oh, that idea for the wings is pretty standard. But you need like a Grimm army. Accelerator needs a challenge.**

 **TheB: Cliffhangers make you come back for more.**

 **O: Your hate makes me stronger.**

 **Christianlukebustillo: Been thinking about this for a while. It really depends how I decide on what's happening to Touma's Aura. Like is it restraining the dragon or is the dragon just kind of eating it while it's trapped behind the IB? Options like that make the answer kind of tricky.**

 **SlothDGod: Dragging Neo off on adventures.**

 **Awardedall: One step ahead of you.**

 **escleto278: Time for her to show him why she should be more than friends.**

 **no name: Blood loss is serious business.**

 **Croniklerx: Or quality vs quantity? Is Adam worth multiple dragons? Adam will definitely survive. He has too much untapped potential. Good to see you coming back though.**

 **Guest13: Accelerator would have wrecked him. It was why he couldn't go with RWBY. See, I plan stuff out. Sometimes.**

 **AMTT94: As I told you in the message, I had to think about possible changes do to your comment. It didn't change a lot in the end, but there were some significant alterations.**

 **Guest: Kami is referring to my other story where Kaori got killed.**

 **Rajarshi Sarkar: Who else is going to show up multiple times in front of Touma to discuss gentlemanly things?**

 **Mr. X: No. Just… no. Why do you want Eliza to live? She hasn't done much for people to get attracted to.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

It didn't take long for Ruby to reach the base of the plateau. With her Semblance, the distance wasn't an issue. There also weren't any Grimm to impede on her progress. Zipping between trees was easy for her, even if she almost tripped on roots a couple times.

No one saw that and no one would ever know.

She stopped once she reached the outer wall of the settlement, peering upward towards the peak of it. There was a lift to take her up on the other side, but that would be too slow. Instead, she stepped backwards a couple feet, took a deep breath, and charged forward. A red and black blur flickered into existence as rose petals fell where she had just been.

The second the blur hit the base of the plateau it bolted straight up the perpendicular slope. The surface was pretty smooth from years of weathering, but the speed Ruby was moving at let her continue upwards, virtually defying gravity. Her Semblance must have had something to do with that. After all, this wasn't the first time she ran up a wall like this. Though, the last time she did this, she had some help from Weiss with several of her glyphs. In Ruby's defense, she had been dragging along a large Nevermore.

Once her feet hit solid ground at the top of the plateau, she took a moment to spare a glance behind her. There was no telling what happened to the others. For all she knew, they could still be fighting for their lives against that Beowolf. Even so, she refused to believe they would lose and turned her attention back to the task at hand.

 _Have to find Blake and Touma and explain what's happening ,_ Ruby repeated silently. _Then we need to warn the mayor about the situation. I hope he believes us. It's not like we have a reason to lie._ She dashed up the wooden wall and stood at the top, looking around the city. She had hoped to see Blake and Touma patrolling the border, like they said they would. That had been their plan; but instead, she found something else.

 _White Fang?!_

Several troops were patrolling around the city, knocking on houses and looking into windows. Ruby had no idea why they were here, but knew that it couldn't be good. Based on their movements, it seemed like they were looking for someone. The only person that she could imagine as their target was Blake, being a former White Fang member. Ruby snapped back to the present with a quick shake of her head. If she continued to stand on the wall, it would only be a matter of time before someone saw her. Ruby was about to step down and try to figure out where her friends were, when a sound blew away the silence.

A deafening roar came from the center of town.

Ruby, having lost her balance, ended up falling off the wall and came crashing down to the ground with a dull thud. The roar was loud but there was no way the noise alone would have caused her to slip up that badly. She had faced countless Grimm who roared, screeched, or screamed in her face. No, the difference was that this roar seemed to reverberate within her. Fear welled up from places she never knew existed. Her body had frozen out of more than just instinct. It was a fear of something people forgotten long ago only to return in full force. The only good thing about the fall was that her Aura absorbed the impact and jolted her back to her senses.

Resisting the urge to flee, Ruby forced her body up and looked again towards the city. The White Fang didn't seem to fare any better. The two within her line of sight were picking themselves off the ground and running toward the source of the disturbance. Ruby was about to follow them when the source of the roar revealed itself.

It took the shape of a large head that rose high above the homes surrounding it.

"Ahh!"

Ruby's scream was partially because of the monster she just witness. The sheer terror from it alone made her legs buckle beneath her. Yet, the second reason, was because her eyes had started to feel as though they were burning for no discernable reason. These factors combined caused her to collapse as everything started to become blurry. All she could do was raise a single hand, feebly trying to reach out to the city.

"Have… to warn…"

Her words trailed off as she fell unconscious soon after.

* * *

Adam had made a lot of mistakes in his life.

When he was young, he also dreamed of the day Faunus and humans could live together without prejudice. That naivety only led to witnessing firsthand how his kind was treated by the humans. As an up and coming leader of the White Fang, he trusted humans to meet with him in order to help solve some of the issues between the groups. His reward was the loss of an eye and a permanent reminder of his misplaced trust. While that one was bad and he was reminded of it everyday, it didn't hurt as much as one of his biggest mistakes.

Letting Blake leave.

That mistake still haunted him to this day.

The feeling of betrayal from watching her cut the train connector remained fresh in his heart. In hindsight, he should have chased after her. Blake had been talking about issues she had with the White Fang for months leading up to that. However he never he never would have thought she would leave. Everything he did for her was now being used against him. How to fight and how to sneak into enemy camps were all things she learned from him. He had treated her better than an apprentice, like family, and it only took a couple months at Beacon to lose her.

That boy's words had annoyed him; more than they should have. Adam never manipulated Blake. He had been honest about his intentions and one day they would have been together.

Now he had made yet another mistake; the gravity of which he had yet to comprehend.

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. Something told him not to approach the wounded boy in front of him. It wasn't just the expression on the boy's face. Adam had faced opponents who never showed fear or gave up until their last breath. Ignoring the fact Blake was now focused on the brat instead of him, which was a punishable offense, the blood coming out of his arm seemed to be slowing down. Drops of blood were moving in the air unnaturally. Adam's eyebrows narrowed as he felt his arm beginning to shake instinctively. He tried to steady it with his free hand, but the tremors persisted. As a trained warrior, he wasn't going to ignore this feeling. His instincts had saved his life countless times. Something was coming and the boy's warning flashed in his mind.

 _Run!_

Adam jumped back as his body warned him of the threat. That instantaneous decision might have saved his life.

 _Something_ not of this world emerged.

From the stump of the boy's arm, an enormous head erupted out at him. Had the boy's blood not been outlining the shape of this... _thing,_ it might have been truly invisible. Rows of razor sharp teeth snapped at the location Adam had been only moments before he moved. The beast's eyes seem to blaze crimson and with every second the monster seemed to glow clearer, like it was becoming solid. The blood covering its semi-transparent body gave the purple and black scales of its hide a scarlet gleam in the sunlight. The horns on the back of the head emerged as more of its hulking body slithered out from the boy's shoulder. Even though it appeared to be changing from a ghost to a living being, its terrifying presence only increased.

Adam had only ever seen pictures of a creature like this. Yet there was no mistaking what he was seeing here. This thing had a strong resemblance to that of a dragon.

The thing rose up, above the nearest house, and peered down at Adam with red eyes full of hatred and malice. Looking down at him, judging him, as if it were the incarnation of death itself, before opening its massive maw.

The roar ripped through Adam's body.

It threatened to overwhelm his senses. His body both wanted to flee from this monster and yet, at the same time, was paralyzed from the fear. He had never personally seen a creature like this before. No Grimm ever came close to terrifying him this much. A couple of his men arrived on the scene; seeking out the source of the disturbance. Turns out the creature wasn't a figment of his imagination. His eyes fell on a Blake for a second, who had an expression mirroring how he himself was feeling. The sight of his beloved enraged him. Anger replaced fear and he forced his body to move.

"Don't just stand there! Shoot it!"

Gunfire rang out as a couple of his men started firing. Their aim was rather eccentric, most likely that their fear of the monster was preventing them from aiming properly. It was hard to tell with their masks, but Adam knew what his men were capable of. The monstrosity, however, was either unaffected by the bullets or just didn't care. Its jaws opened as its eyes focused on Adam. Wind whistled as it dove toward him at speeds unexpected for something of its size. He gritted his teeth and, at the last moment, stepped to the side and swung his blade.

The red blade shattered to pieces on contact.

"Fuc-…AHH!"

His curse changed to a cry of agony as one of the monsters teeth tore into his arm. Of course it was going to hurt as a literal fang sunk into his skin and ripped a good chunk of flesh off the bone. The pain was only multiplied when his Aura just vanished around the wound and most of his arm. It was like the dragon was devouring his Aura alongside his flesh. Now he couldn't heal the damage like normal. The hilt of his sword clattered to the ground, dropped from the pain. The dragon didn't seem to care about his pain and circled around, knocking two of his men out just by colliding into them. Its focus was on Adam, not the rest, and so it came back at him with both jaws open; preparing to devour him whole.

 _Is this really how it ends?! Damn it, what the hell is that boy?!_

Adam didn't have the strength to move. His body had finally collapsed under that oppressive fear, agony, and lack of Aura. He closed his eyes under his mask and awaited his imminent death.

"Stop!"

A death that would not come for him on this day.

When Adam hesitantly opened his eyes, he did not expect to find the source of the voice with his back to him. What he saw beyond that had left his eyes wide out of sheer amazement. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The dragon, that mass of terror and death incarnate, _actually fucking stopped._ More than that, it seemed to be retreating. The air around it shimmering, like another invisible force was pulling it back. The source?

The boy was still standing and somehow pulling it back with the invisible binding energy.

"…Why?"

Adam didn't understand.

He had been prepared to kill him. Now that same boy, who was about to defeat him with an unholy power, was willing to let him live? It didn't make any sense. Adam tried to think of a valid reason for this; doing his best to not to let the pain overtake him. Touma was still miraculously standing, even as the pool of blood at his feet grew larger. His hand was laying on the ground several feet away.

Adam's mouth nearly fell open in disbelief.

The hand he had severed was dissolving. Not into smoke, like the Grimm did, but into nothing. Dust that just vanished in the breeze. It didn't take long for Adam to figure out where the hand was disappearing to. The stump at the end of Touma's arm wasn't letting out blood now that the dragon was gone. Instead, the skin was beginning to reappear around the wound out of nowhere. As Adam watched, the boy's entire hand grew back. Judging from Blake's expression, she didn't expect this either. The words that came from the boy's mouth a moment later were even more unexpected.

In hindsight, Adam should have expected it after the drivel he spouted out earlier.

"There has been enough bloodshed today and I'm not going to add any more to it."

Adam's gaze felt to his arm as; gritting his teeth so hard that it hurt.

The White Fang...along with himself...they had lost today.

The power this boy wielded completely overwhelmed them. Dust rifles were useless and Adam's own prized weapon had no effect on it. His eyes fell onto the shattered metal that had once been his blade. He was one of the strongest members of the White Fang. If he couldn't do anything to that dragon, none of the troops he brought along could either. If it was just Blake and a couple Hunters, the fight would have ended in his favor. The only reason he was alive was thanks to this boy's generosity or mercy. Adam examined that boy's expression one last time as he turned to face him. The strength and conviction hadn't changed, but there was now a little apprehensive there. He was waiting with baited breath to see if Adam would take the opportunity to leave.

"…Fine," Adam relented after a pause. He glanced at two of his men who just arrived. Apparently they had seen the fight and had guns drawn, aimed at Touma. "No, we are done here. Pick up our troops that can't move and let's go; we are leaving."

They lowered their rifles and rushed over to their fallen brethren, making sure to leave a wide berth around the human. Blake had been quick to approach him; settling down to one knee beside Touma, who appeared to have lost the strength in his legs. Shock, fear, and disbelief had prevented her from saying or doing anything more than being there at his side. Adam told himself this was a mistake, but this wasn't the first time he had knowingly made a bad decision.

"This isn't over, Blake. I will return for you one day."

He staggered after his men, blood still running down his arm. Medical attention would be needed shortly.

Blake wanted to say something. She really did try to give a response. It was just every time she thought of something to say the words got caught in her throat. There were a great number of things she had to tell him. His words had struck her deeply. There was a part of her that believed what he said was true. She would have gone with him if Touma didn't stop her. Frantic amber eyes shifted to the said boy as his ragged breathing assaulted her ears. Somehow his hand and arm had reformed after Adam cut it off.

She shivered at the memory of that beast that emerged.

She should have done more but that very presence struck at her core with primal fear.

"Are you okay?"

She flinched at if she had been slapped. Touma's words had come out of nowhere.

"..Yes, but what was-…"

"That's good." Touma interrupted her as if he didn't hear anything after the yes. Without warning, he collapsed and Blake barely had time to grab him before he slammed against the ground. His breathing was labored, his skin cold and clammy, and he was definitely unconscious. After Blake was sure he was mostly okay, her eyes flickered toward the sound of Bullheads beginning to turn on.

"Touma, who are you?" She muttered.

* * *

An explosion followed by a loud banging alerted Accelerator of a nearby presence.

Having rested for a bit, there wasn't any immediate need to conserve his stamina. Several White Fang members along with the thief, Roman Torchwick, had fled from the base. Accelerator had thought about walking over and crushing them, but a few moments later, Bullheads were beginning to arrive for pick up. There was no sign of the others. The ground beneath him exploded as he propelled himself into the air toward the unknown noise in the distance. Subtlety was off the table and the White Fang were too occupied to pay him any attention. The only reason he didn't think Roman had found what they were looking for was due to his expression. Rather than smug or conceited, he was radiating fury.

Accelerator chuckled to himself knowing Roman had failed.

 _Does that mean the buffoon's group found something?_ He thought. In the distance, he saw a metal cylinder of some kind. Not too far past that, there was a large hole in the ground with overturned dirt that was probably concealing an entrance. _That had to have made the noise. It can't belong to the White Fang or they would have come over here._

He landed roughly ten feet away and walked toward the container. As he began to draw near, a pair of muffled voices reached his ears.

Familiar voices.

"…the switch has to be around here somewhere."

"J-Jaune, that's not it."

"Can you see it? Wait, hold on, what it this? Why is it so soft here?"

"Eep! That's definitely not the switch!" The girl's voice went up an octave or so.

"Oh… OH! I-I'm sorry, Pyrrha!"

 _Pretty sure that was a switch for something,_ Accelerator thought.

"Just don't go any lower. I feel something hard in my back."

"That's not me! I swear!"

Accelerator raised an eyebrow but figured enough was enough. He reached down, touched the lock on the outside, and the door blew open. He was met with quite a sight. Pyrrha was laying on top of Jaune with a device clutched in her hand and her head resting right under his chin. Jaune was underneath except for one of his hands, which was on Pyrrha's butt. All three parties stared at one-another in complete silence for a couple seconds.

Until an involuntary smirk slipped onto Accelerator's lips as he looked at those two.

"...Bout damn time you two got at it."

"It's not what it looks like!" Jaune and Pyrrha cried out in unison, both a brilliant shade of red. Free from their metal coffin, Pyrrha pushed herself off Jaune and propelled herself out of the pod. Once she was standing, she reached out a hand and helped Jaune out as well.

"Jokes aside, what's that?" Accelerator pointed to the hard drive Pyrrha was still holding.

"Information on a device Merlot was developing to peer into other dimensions." Pyrrha answered. "It wasn't complete, but now we have a starting point."

"Finally, some good news." Accelerator crossed his arms, remembering all the annoyances he was forced to experience. "So, where's the chaperone?"

"She should be right behind us," Jaune answered. "We might have… set the lab to explode to prevent Torchwick from gaining access to the information here."

Accelerator stared at him for a moment.

"…Come again?"

"The lab is about-…"

"I HEARD YOU!" Accelerator thundered. "I was being fucking sarcastic!"

"She had to send us first since she was the only one who could operate the escape pods," Pyrrha elaborated. "One wasn't working so we had to share a pod."

"So the two of you didn't just decide to get close and personal on a whim?" Accelerator said mockingly. Pyrrha flushed and diverted her eyes while Jaune frantically shook his head back and forth in denial.

"There's no way I would try to take advantage of her in this situation!" Jaune protested. "This was a necessity!"

 _Pretty sure she wanted you to take advantage._ Accelerator thought, noticing the girl's flustered state. It was nearly to the point that it would not surprise him to see steam shooting out of her ears.

Suddenly, Jaune's scroll went off. As only short range communication would work out here, possibilities of who was calling were few. There was also a chance that the news they were about to receive would not be pleasant. Jaune gulped and opened his scroll.

"Hey!"

"Eliza?" Jaune gasped and Pyrrha scooted over to peer at the woman. "Why are you still in the lab?"

"About the escape pods…" Eliza rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I may not have been entirely truthful. You see, only one of the pods worked, and it was the one you two took."

Silence met her statement.

"But we accomplished the mission," she continued, trying to put a positive spin on things. "I thought I might be able to deactivate the meltdown and I managed to delay it for a couple minutes. So there's that."

"I'm going back in for you!" Pyrrha declared, stepping forward.

"No!" Eliza shouted. "There's not enough time. I don't know how big the blast radius will be, so you need to get as far away as possible."

"Damn it!" Jaune cursed. Everything was going so well after chasing away Roman and the White Fang. Now they were about to lose someone.

"Hey, relax," Eliza continued, trying to cheer them up. "You're all still young. I'm… 29. It's better this way."

"Nothing about throwing your life away makes this better! There is a better solution than this, there has to be!" Pyrrha pleaded, looking around at the two boys in hope they would have an idea. Accelerator remained silent, his face expressionless.

"There's not," Eliza apologized. "As my last order, I'm telling you leave. There's nothing left that you can do. Now hurry up and get to safety!"

Lights were flickering around her and smoke was filling her room. Machines must have been going haywire and explosions were going off in the distance. The ground shook slightly under everyone's feet. They really did not have much time. Accelerator turned and started walking.

"You can't be serious!" Pyrrha yelled. "We can't just leave her down there to die like this!"

"Pyrrha…" Jaune muttered softly, putting his hand on her shoulder. "We can't save her. If we try it would just end with all of us…" He was about to make one of the toughest calls in his life.

In the end, Jaune was just not able to finish that line of thought. He blamed himself for forcing this to happen. Eliza would not have had to do this if he hadn't been knocked out by Roman. Now he was being forced to sit back and let her die for his shortcomings. It was bitter pill to swallow.

Accelerator, for his part, stopped dead in his tracks.

A vain throbbed in his head as pure anger coursed through his veins.

Not at Jaune specifically, but at his words. They reminded Accelerator so much of the scientists back home. While understanding how powerful he was, they always focused on his destructive potential. Saving someone was never discussed, much less believed. It took Last Order nearly dying for him to show everyone how wrong they were. He saved her. He prevented another person close to him from bleeding out. His power could protect people. It could keep that small group of people he cared about safe.

The group that seemed to be growing without his permission since he landed here.

"Accelerator!" Jaune called out to him. "That's the wrong way!"

He ignored him.

If he had been at one hundred percent, uprooting an underground bunker would have been possible. With access to the Misaka Network back home, he could probably have torn a good chunk of the bunker out of the ground. In his current condition? Neither of those options was feasible. He may have been a lot stronger than others, but he had lost a lot of his power. The side effect of Dust healing seemed to have merged his ability with his stamina. Still, from all his testing up to this point, there was one option available to him.

"Tell her to get as far into the escape tunnel as possible." Accelerator ordered.

"What?!" Jaune exclaimed.

"Stop talking and do what I fucking say!"

Accelerator ignored the other's questions and propelled himself to the location their pod had emerged from before crashing onto the surface. There was only a large hole and dirt visible, so the tracks probably didn't completely reach the surface. The ground exploded into a crater when he slammed his foot down. It took a second smaller crater in the center of the first before he finally caught the sight of protruding metal. Tremors ran through the earth as explosions went off in the distance. There wasn't a lot of time left. He touched the metal and began calculating the vectors along the tracks.

"Well!?" Accelerator yelled over his shoulder. "Is she in position!?"

"Yes!" Jaune answered. "But you can't expect to reach-…!"

"Shut the hell up!" Accelerator snapped.

He needed to concentrate.

It took a lot more manual calculations than he was used to. This wasn't just reflecting things or bending metal. He was going to tear the entire underground railway from the lab and bring it to the surface. In order to avoid the metal tearing and reduce what needed to be moved, he was going to rip it straight out of the ground. He was going to pull it out of the already existing hole. From what he could detect, it was a straight shot from the lab to the surface at roughly a fifty degree angle. Taking a deep breath, his head already throbbing from the strain, he grabbed the metal. His fingers sunk into it like it was made of playdough.

Then he yanked it with a roar.

"GGGRRRRAAAHHHHH!"

The screech of metal scraping against rock caused his teeth to shake. He had taken down most of the automatic reflection to focus on brain processing power. The metal tube surrounding the rails twisted and bent at weird angles as Accelerator tore the metal and threw it to the side. Pulling nearly a half mile of metal tubing several feet in diameter couldn't be moved all at once. Not with someone inside it.

"Holy…" Jaune's mouth fell open and words failed him.

Pyrrha would probably have been in an equal state of shock had her training not kicked in. She used her Semblance to help move the metal to ease the burden on Accelerator. Her interference had been noticed quickly enough and so he adjusted accordingly. His vision began to blur and his head began to feel like it was being split open. It took a lot of effort to remain conscious. His breathing became labored and something warm was running out of his nose. A rusty scent followed. At last, with one final burst, the end of the rails emerged from out of the ground.

"This beats surfing!" Eliza's voice rang out from within the tube before being followed by a yelp of pain as the metal crashed onto the ground. There was a period of tense silence as the debris and dust settled from the crash before her echoed voice eventually broke it. "I'm okay!"

While Pyrrha rushed to check on Eliza's condition, Jaune had opted to approach Accelerator.

"You freaking did it," he said in amazement. "I can't believe-…"

His words trailed off as he caught a glimpse of Accelerator's face.

His eyes were red and bloody; so much so that it was a miracle he could still see. Blood was running down his nose and his face was deathly pale. Who knew his pasty complexion could get worse? He was staggering, barely able to stand as his arms hung limply along either side of his body. With the last of strength, he glared at Jaune and uttered a few words.

"Don't... tell me… what... I can't… do…"

Jaune caught him before he crashed to the ground.

"Sorry, man," Jaune apologized, looking over at Pyrrha helping Eliza out of the metal tube and to her feet. "That won't happen again. Good work, you saved the day."

At that moment, an explosion rang out, shaking the surrounding terrain.

* * *

Roman's cigar fell from gaping mouth; eyes wide in obvious disbelief from what he had witnessed.

 _What the fuck is it with kids these days?_

Holding on to a support rail in the Bullhead, Roman was given an aerial view of a phenomenal sight. An albino boy tore a half mile long metal tubing weighing thousands of pounds out of the ground effortlessly and tossed it aside. Just yanked it out. Like it was a large weed. The metal twisted and contorted as he tore it in the process to make it easier for him. He wasn't the only one to notice. Several White Fang soldiers were either gaping like he was or whispering frantically amongst themselves.

 _First a kid who scares Grimm, now one who can reflect bullets with super strength on top. What's next a demigod or something? Whatever happened to the old days when a thief could make an honest living robbing people? Things have gone downhill since. Cinder is not going to be happy and I need a damn drink._

He lit a new cigar as the lab finally exploded. Counting back the time, Roman was surprised it took so long. The explosion was also accompanied by an unusual color. Rather than fiery shades of red and orange, it seemed to be more of a flash of bluish-green light. The explosion was also odd. An underground explosion should have thrown debris in every direction while leaving smoke and ash behind. The ground had originally erupted, tossing metal, dirt and dust into the air, but after the light went off most of it disappeared. A large crater was all that was left where the lab and field had been.

It was more of an implosion than an explosion.

"Guess that's one way of keeping your secrets safe," Roman muttered. "Impressive. Shame those brats were outside the blast range. Would've saved me a lot of hassle." He took a deep drag of his cigar. Movement near the forest's edge caught his eye. It was a small black thing and he saw it just long enough to recognize what it was. "So it wasn't dead? Well, not my problem. I don't plan on coming back."

He wasn't the only one watching this scene unfold. From her position in a large tree, Raven was sitting on the branch watching as the events unfolded.

"That power _is_ impressive. It seems he was just toying around with me. However, it's not invincible. He has a limit. That information will be useful."

She transformed into a black bird and flew off.

* * *

When Touma opened his eyes, he found himself lying in an all too familiar environment.

White walls and a ceiling surrounded him and he was laying in a bed with clean white sheets. Sun was shining in through the window right into his face. He blinked a few times and turned to his right, where an IV was attached to his arm. His body was wrapped up in bandages and his clothes were replaced with a green gown. Being a famous resident back home, he instantly recognized it as a hospital room. As his senses returned, pain ran along his body and he flinched.

 _Well, I'm alive, but where am I? Don't tell me this was all a dream and I never went to Remnant in the first place._

"Guess that means I won't be seeing Neo anymore," Touma muttered with a chuckle. A break from her pranks would be a welcome relief. To his shock and horror, he discovered he made a terrible mistake.

A girl's face with mismatched eyes appeared upside down over his.

Her expression was not one of amusement.

"Neo!" Touma gasped and sat up, almost hitting their heads together. This was a mistake as sudden movements doubled the pain he was feeling and he involuntary gasped. "Am I back at Beacon?"

Neo didn't answer, not that she could, but she didn't even try to mime a response nor write a message. Instead, she did something else.

"Ouch!"

She flicked him hard in the forehead.

"What was that for?" Touma demanded and she smiled sweetly at him before narrowing her eyes. He gulped. She was mad at him and he had no clue why. He opened his mouth to ask when another voice interrupted them from around the corner in another room.

"Is my patient up already? Who is he talking to? I warned that girl five times not to show up. I'm bringing the extra-large needles this time."

Neo waved, the air shimmered, and she disappeared.

"…Okay, what?" Touma was confused and now turned his attention to an older woman with brown hair. He quickly recognized her as a fox Faunus by her ears. "Um...I'm back at Beacon, right?"

"Cognitive awareness is a good sign," the woman told him. "Do you know you name, age, what you were doing, and last sexual encounter?"

"Touma Kamijou, 16, fighting the White Fang, and… WHAT?!" Touma's brain finally snapped into gear at her last request.

"Memories appear to be undamaged," the woman muttered writing on a clipboard. "Chance of a concussion minimal." She looked up and smiled at him. "Just a joke. It helps to see how people react to determine any possible brain damage."

Touma blinked as everything that had led up to him losing consciousness came back. He needed to know what happened.

"What about Blake!? The White Fang!? The town!? The rest of the team-…" The woman slapped a hand over his mouth so she could get a word in.

"First off," the woman warned him. "Keep your voice down. This is Beacon's medical bay, not the cafeteria. Second, everyone returned in one piece. From what they told me, you lost consciousness after chasing away the White Fang and the rest of your team finished their assigned mission. An emergency Bullhead rushed you back here and you arrived late Tuesday night. It is now… just after three on Wednesday. You've been sleeping the entire time. That's good. Rest is the best way to recover."

"Can I see the others?" Touma asked, pushing himself up slowly this time. He learned his lesson. "I'm fine now."

" _I'll_ be the judge of that." The woman pushed him back down. "Name's Tsune by the way. Thanks for asking. I'm Beacon Academy's doctor."

"I'm fine, really," Touma tried to assure her. "I'm used to getting hurt."

"I can tell that from your scars," Tsune agreed. "Gave your entire body a thorough screening when I was patching you up. Gotta say, I do love a man who's not afraid to take risks." Touma shivered, glad he was unconscious. "Still, you can't leave until I give the word. If you try, you will be restrained." She jabbed her finger into his chest. "Understand?"

"…Yes," Touma answered meekly.

"Very good." She smiled kindly. "Now, tell me if this hurts."

She jabbed the bandages on his left arm.

"Ow! Yeah, that hurts!"

"You sure?"

She jabbed it again.

"Ow! Have I done something to you?!"

"You're not crying, so it's healing up nicely. How about this one?"

They repeated this process for an eternity. Well, it felt like an eternity for one unfortunate boy, but it wasn't even half an hour. Though Tsune was a little more hands on than what he was used to, she was still a fully licensed doctor. The students at Beacon were pretty much cared for by her and a few part time nurses. As long as they weren't dead, she did everything possible to keep them alive. Usually the only time students had to be transported to Vale's main hospital was in the event of a major emergency. Not all of the equipment at Beacon could handle certain injuries. Surgery was rare, but occasionally it was needed.

"My, your body is quite resilient." Tsune finally stopped poking and prodding all his tender areas. "Even without Aura, your wounds are healing at a remarkable rate. You could probably be let go today, but I want to keep you overnight for observation, just in case. If nothing happens, you can leave first thing in the morning."

"I guess I can't really complain," Touma agreed. "Can I at least have visitors? I want to ask my friends some questions."

"You mean like that little girl, Neo?" Tsune asked and crossed her arms. "Listen, I know you kids can be rather adventurous, but this is not the place for that sort of thing; regardless what your magazines tell you."

"We aren't like that!" Touma protested, waving his hand not attached to the IV out front.

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "So finding her crying by your unconscious body and praying for your swift recovery makes her just a friend?"

"Now I know that isn't true," Touma replied, rolling his eyes. "Neo's many things, but a crier? Never."

"You got me." Tsune laughed. "She did leave that apple though." Touma looked at the window sill and saw an apple with a small note. He reached over, grabbed the note, and glanced at it.

 _Once you're out, all bets are off._

"Okay, that sounds more like her."

"She's pretty tough," Tsune admitted, though with a tinge of annoyance. "Wouldn't leave when I told her to and was prepared to get violent. Had to inject her with enough anesthetic to take down an Ursa. Then I had to throw her out the window."

"Yeah, she doesn't like listening to authority." Touma said, deciding to ignore the last bit. "So, can I let my friends know they can visit?"

"Pretty sure they are waiting anxiously if their reactions when they first brought you in were any indication." Tsune turned and opened a cabinet. "I'm going to give you a little pick me up that should help with any leftover weariness and speed up your natural healing."

She turned around with a needle in her hand, withdrawing some purple liquid from a jar.

"Isn't that needle a little big?" Touma asked nervously.

"Ever try to puncture Aura? You need a lot of force. Normal needles just break."

"But I don't have Aura!"

"Ah, right." Tsune looked at the needle and shrugged. "It's out anyway and it would just be a waste to change now."

"Pretty sure that spear would cause more damage than it would help!"

"Huh. I remember someone else saying something similar. Now, hold still; it's going to hurt if I miss."

Touma's cry of pain could be heard down the corridor.

* * *

"There's a reason people tend to avoid Tsune," Yang said to Touma. "She's not gentle."

"You don't have to tell me," Touma muttered, rubbing his arm. "I found out it was some kind of Dust injection, so it wouldn't affect me anyways."

He was surrounded by Blake, Ruby, Yang, and Weiss. Last Order had stopped by but left earlier to wait for Accelerator. Neo was mysteriously absent.

This was worrying.

"Surprised Ozpin didn't tell her," Yang admitted. "Or maybe she just wanted to see it for herself."

"It's most likely the latter," Weiss huffed. "There's no way the headmaster would forget such an important detail."

"How did finding that Grimm go?" Touma asked. "It's good to see you all came back better off than I did."

"This is what we have been trained for," Ruby pointed out, oddly sounding a lot more reserved than usual. "What happened on your end?"

"I already told you," Blake muttered. "The White Fang showed up to do some recruiting, recognized us, and a fight broke out. It didn't help they killed the mayor for some reason." Silence fell over the group and many hands were clenched. "That action alone prevented the villagers from joining them willingly."

"I wanted Touma to tell us." Ruby huffed, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, Blake, you leave out way too many details." Chimed in Yang before directing her attention at Touma. "So? Come on. How did you get all those wounds? You usually see White Fang members use Dust rifles. Yet most of your injuries were from blades."

Blake's lips tightened from behind the others and only Touma had caught it.

 _She doesn't want the others to know about Adam._

"There's not much to tell," Remarked Touma with a shrug. "We were patrolling around the edge of town and noticed several Bullheads landing. At the time, we didn't think too much of it, until we saw a couple of soldiers bursting into houses. Blake knocked one out and we continued to investigate."

"Which was a rash decision," Weiss huffed and shot a heated glance in Blake's direction. "She should have known better than to put a civilian's life at risk."

"It's not her fault," Came Touma's defense, dismissing it with his hand and causing Blake to smile in gratitude. "I kind of pushed her to let me come along. You guys were out of range so it wasn't like we could contact you. More importantly, people were getting hurt, so we had to do something about it."

Ruby beamed at the sound of that, though Yang and Weiss rolled their eyes. Seems they heard something similar from Blake already.

"Yeah, yeah." Yang waved her hand. "We heard all the excuses. No time to get help. People were being dragged out of houses. Blake's good at making excuses." Blake replied by elbowing Yang in the ribs. "Good job you two on making them retreat though."

"At least Blake didn't hijack a Bullhead and chase them down." Weiss muttered and Yang covered her mouth with her hand to hide her snickering.

"He was injured," Blake stated firmly. "Providing first aid was a priority."

"Sooo, if he wasn't, you would have gone and stolen a Bullhead to chase them down?" Yang prodded.

Blake's silence spoke volumes.

"Damn it, Blake." Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. Ruby took advantage of her being occupied to push up next to Touma and lean on the bed.

"So, how did you get injured?" She demanded. "You were covered in cuts… like something chewed you up and spat you out."

"One of the White Fang was pretty good with a sword." Touma replied in all truthfulness. "I think he recognized me from Mt. Glenn and only wanted to scare me away, rather than actually kill me. I wouldn't back down and he had to get serious. Blake fought him a lot better than I could." He glanced down at his hand. "My powers aren't ideal for facing people."

"You need a weapon." Ruby told him plainly.

"I have no experience with any."

"We could change that while you're here." Ruby beamed at him.

"Just agree," Yang advised. "Trust me. She doesn't take rejection well. Go and get all sweaty with her in the training rooms."

"YANG!"

"Ignoring their juvenile drabble," Interjected Weiss. "No doubt we have kept you waiting long enough about the mutated Grimm." Touma nodded and sat up a bit straighter. "Our suspicions were correct. Wellen was responsible for it. From its increased intelligence, to ice powers, to the ability to lead other Grimm. How he did that, we still have no idea. That monster had to be taken care of. Qrow managed to behead it… and it still talked."

"Again, no idea how magic works." Touma said quickly.

"Argh… I'm not blaming you. I'm just frustrated." Weiss sighed and sat down on one of the seats surrounding his bed. "Listen, you know the situation on Remnant isn't the greatest. Now we have to deal with someone from your world causing even more troubles. To make matters worse, most of the people are unaware, which only increases the threat."

Touma opened his mouth but Ruby came to his rescue.

"It's not his fault!" Ruby protested. "He and Accelerator were forced here helping their friend."

"I know that and I'm not blaming them." Weiss had stiffened at Accelerator's name. "It's just Wellen is from their world and neither of them understand his powers enough to explain how he is doing any of this. Your uncle told us the implications of what that Beowolf represented."

"If a Beowolf could be turned into that," Ruby said, parroting what she had been told. "There is no telling what older and more powerful Grimm could be turned into. There's also the risk of multiple Beowolves being turned into that too. One was tough, but dozens at once?"

"That ice…" Yang rubbed the spot where the Beowolf's claw had scraped her. "It felt kind of like dry ice. It burned so badly with just a scratch. Aura only provided some defense against it."

"Isn't Aura one of your main defenses against the Grimm?" Touma asked.

"That's exactly the problem," Blake answered. "This 'magic' from your world isn't Aura, but pretends to be something similar. Humanity developed Aura to fight against Grimm. Now Grimm can develop their own power to overcome Aura. It's a biological arms race, one we would be on the losing end of in the long run."

"I take it you guys discussed this in detail?" Touma looked at each one of the girls in turn as they confirmed his suspicion.

"We had some time while you recovered," Ruby explained. "Weiss has full notes if you want to see them."

"Taking notes is a good way to organize one's thoughts!" Weiss protested.

"Perfectionist," Yang teased. "Still, it's helping to keep track of what we learned." She shrugged. "Maybe we can find out a clue on how your magician friend is doing all this."

"Sorry I can't be of more help." Touma apologized.

"We don't even know everything about our own world." Blake said. "It would be hypocritical to expect you to know everything about yours."

"Even if it is a little frustrating." Weiss added under her breath, causing Ruby to elbow her in the side.

"Oh," Ruby added, as if she suddenly remembered something. "Did the White Fang bring any Grimm or anything with them?"

"Huh?" Touma wasn't the only one confused. The rest of her team looked at her too. "Not that I was aware of. It was just a couple dozen troops. I think? Didn't really get a chance to count them." He frowned. "Why?"

"Well…" Ruby paused for a moment. "Uncle Qrow told me to head back to Relotem to warn you and Blake about the Ice Grimm thing."

Touma's stomach dropped.

 _Had she seen it?_

Yang and Weiss didn't look surprised at the information, so they must have known. There was only a little curiosity aimed at her question. Blake, on the other hand, frowned and her eyes flashed for an instant. Touma knew Blake had seen that thing _._ There was no way she couldn't have missed it. She also seemed to have told her teammates a slightly different tale than what had actually happened. Ruby's question implied she saw it.

Subtly was not her strong point.

"When I got near the city," Ruby continued. "I heard something yell. It sounded like a roar from a large Grimm and I assumed the worst. I was delayed in getting into the city and by the time I arrived, the White Fang was already retreating. Blake was carrying you and I ended up helping her drag you to their medical facility."

"She did." Blake confirmed with a nod.

While her expression remained neutral, she knew Ruby was hiding something.

Ruby was not a good liar.

Technically everything she said was true, but Touma and Blake could tell she knew something more. Weiss and Yang didn't have any reason to suspect her. The question was how much she knew. Had she just seen _it_ or had she witnessed where _it_ had come from? Had she heard what Adam and Blake were talking about? There were a lot of unanswered questions.

Ruby on the other hand was proud of herself. When Blake had told the rest of the team about what happened, there was no mention of some weird semi-transparent dragon. There was no way Ruby had imagined that so the only conclusion was that Blake was hiding the information for some reason. Touma had been unconscious when she woke so he might have been in the same position. She had only asked that question to see if he knew anything. It didn't seem like he was lying but part of her felt like he just wasn't saying anything. He probably didn't want to frighten them if he did see that thing.

 _So noble._

"So how long you stuck here?" Yang asked. "Hope you don't have to endure the food here for very long. Trust me, it's bad."

"How would you know?" Asked Weiss skeptically. "Don't you normally send other people here?"

"Ozpin and Goodwitch make me hand them a written apology sometimes." She shrugged. "I've seen the food."

Weiss rolled her eyes. Yang sometimes got over eager during spars and then there were anger issues.

For example: never mess with her hair.

"What Yang means is that she's worried how badly you were injured." Blake translated.

"That's what I said."

"Most of the damage was only skin deep and healed up easily enough." Touma reassured them. "Tsune just wants to keep me under observation because of the blood loss. If there're no complications, which there shouldn't, then I can leave first thing in the morning."

"Sounds like there isn't any lasting damage," Ruby said with a smile. "That's great!"

"Has Team JNPR and Accelerator returned?" Touma asked conversationally.

"Haven't heard anything from them yet," Weiss said, once again stiffening slightly at the mention of Accelerator. "Our mission finished early due to… unforeseen interference." Blake's bow twitched. "They probably won't return for another day or two at least."

"Has Neo stopped by?" Ruby asked.

"Kind of surprised she isn't here." Weiss admitted.

"She was here." Touma pointed to the apple. "She brought that."

"Really?" Yang and Blake asked in unison.

Neo being generous? That was a new one to all of them.

"I find that hard to believe." Weiss admitted.

"I did too. Read the note."

Weiss eyed him suspiciously, but otherwise did what he asked. A second later she passed it to Yang, who gave it to Blake.

"Okay, I'm convinced."

"Then let's give him some rest," Blake suggested as she heard someone in the distance. "We can talk about these matters later with everyone else."

"I'll make sure to bring you something to read so you don't get bored." Ruby promised.

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

"Probably a weapon magazine." Yang suggested after the hospital door closed behind them.

"Naturally," Ruby agreed, completely missing the sarcasm. "He's got to see how cool weapons are so I can persuade him to let me help him make one."

"And here I thought you making people's weapons was reserved for family." Yang teased. "Is there something I should know about you two? Should I be expecting a wedding invite soon?"

"Yang! No!" Ruby protested, her face reddening. "I just want to help him out as thanks for helping us so much."

"I think she's already building something," Weiss added, tapping her chin in thought. "I saw some designs earlier today. Wouldn't be surprised if she already started on it."

"That's supposed to be a surprise!" Ruby cried and bolted off in a flash, leaving rose petals behind. She needed to hide her gift before the others blabbed to Touma about it.

"I have a few things I need to go over," Weiss told the other two. "I'll see you around."

Blake gave a small wave as she watched Weiss depart. She herself was about to head off to the library when Yang grabbed her shoulder.

"Not so fast, kitty-kat," Yang said seriously, pulling Blake after her.

"What is it now?" Blake demanded exasperatedly.

"Not here." Yang looked around and ducked into an empty classroom. "In private."

"...okay?" Blake raised an eyebrow. Yang sounded unusually serious. She hadn't done anything wrong lately so she was curious about what Yang wanted. The door closed with a click and Yang turned to face her.

"I know something happened between you and Touma during the fight with the White Fang." Blake suddenly felt her blood run cold. "I'm not sure what, but I'm pretty sure Ruby saw it. She hasn't told me what she saw. Whatever that secret is, she is guarding it closely." Yang's eyes bore into Blake. "What happened?"

"…nothing."

Blake was normally a good liar. This time Yang's sudden attack lowered her defenses.

"Bullshit." Yang slammed a hand on the wall over Blake's shoulder with a thud. "What… happened?"

"We fought the White Fang and he was injured, like we said."

"No, I know something else happened. Was there Grimm? That was a strange question she asked."

"No, not Grimm." Blake strained to avoid averting her eyes.

"Damn it." Yang must have seen something in Blake's expression because she turned around and muttered darkly. "I think I know what happened."

"…Which is?"

Blake, feeling confident, crossed her arms defiantly. There was no way Yang would suggest something like what she saw. The closest she could expect was a strange Grimm that might have caused the wounds on the boy.

"Ruby caught you two making out after that battle, didn't she?"

All defiance left Blake's expression as her mouth fell halfway open, her eyes widened, and her brain shut down. Out of anything that could have been said, she did not expect that. Any comeback was lost from the shock. Unfortunately, Yang took her silence as an indication that her guess had been correct.

"I know this was going to happen eventually." Yang sighed and shook her head. "We knew she had feelings for him and you like him too. It was bound to happen because she refused to make any kind of move. I'm not blaming you, Blakey. You two just finished fighting for your lives. He probably took a blow for you to save your life." Blake was surprised how accurate this part was. "After the enemies retreated; you rushed to his side, held him in your arms, and screamed his name. Consciousness fading, he reassures you by patting your head. You lean in, lips meeting his, and that is when Ruby sees you. Her mind probably would be imagining a lot more than just a thank you kiss."

The gears in Blake's brain began to turn again.

"Have you been reading my romance novels?" Blake asked.

"Your smut? Occasionally, when I'm waiting for Weiss to get out of the shower."

"It's adult-romance literature!"

"Smut with plot then."

"You're terrible." Groaned Blake, raising her hand to cover her face for a moment, before it was removed as she sighed. "Listen, that didn't happen. Ruby showed up right when I started lifting him up after he lost consciousness. I didn't kiss him, hug him or do anything remotely intimate in any way. Nor him to me. We were fighting for our lives."

"Nothing happened to cause her to freak out at you two then?"

"No!"

"Then what has her all secretive lately." Yang rubbed her chin.

 _I'm pretty sure I know,_ Blake thought, feeling guilty of lying to her partner.

"Well…" Blake finally admitted, knowing this was going to be a mistake. Yang's ears twitched and her expression seemed to glow in anticipation. "The part about him saving me was true. He pushed me out of the way of an attack after I made a mistake."

"Mistake?" Yang frowned. "That doesn't sound like you in a fight."

"I… lost my cool for a second after seeing what the White Fang had become." Yang made a sympathetic noise. "He pushed me out of the way and that's how he got most of his wounds."

"Ah. Hmm, that would upset Ruby, but it doesn't explain why she won't talk about it. Guess I'll have to wait and see." Yang locked eyes with Blake. "Thanks for being honest."

A stab of guilt pierced through Blake's heart at that. Nevertheless, she somehow managed to summon a small smile.

"So…?" The mischief returned to Yang's voice. "What are you going to do to repay him?"

"What do you mean?" Blake's eye narrowed.

"Just seems like he keeps bailing you out of situation after situation." Yang pointed out. "Add to the fact he understands your feelings. Don't think I don't know what you two talk about. You totally have feelings for him. When are you going to tell him? In case you hadn't noticed, he's pretty dense about those sorts of things."

"You want me to hurt your sister?"

"Of course not." Yang waved her hand dismissively. "At the same time, telling you to lay off of him when Ruby can't even confess would make me a terrible friend." She smiled and Blake knew the next suggestion was going to be advice from a terrible friend. "Why not sneak into the med bay tonight and pay him a late night visit?"

"…" Blake's eyes narrowed by a couple margins in quiet fury.

"I bet he's all sweaty," Yang continued. "If you offered him a sponge bath, in some revealing clothes, he wouldn't… can't say no. Tell him you want to repay him, maybe act out some of the scenes from you books."

Yang was lucky looks couldn't kill or she would be six-feet under by now. Because Blake was glaring daggers at her throughout her little 'suggestion'. Still, the cat Faunus couldn't stop herself from mulling over Yang's idea.

 _Not_ in the way Yang made it out though.

She needed to talk to him privately. Without the chance of interruption from her teammates or Tsune. That meant she couldn't go during normal visiting hours. Yang's idea of a nighttime visit would solve that problem. Neo would have heard them if she tried to talk to him in their room. Blake doubted Neo would be watching him all night. However, Yang would surely be waiting to tease her the moment Blake got back. Likely drilling her for details about all the erotic things the two had done. Thinking it possible to go on the attack first; a plan began to form in Blake's mind.

Shoot, Touma might even play along with it afterwards.

"Let's say I wanted to," Blake stated carefully and her words seemed to confuse Yang for a moment. "There's no way I could with you knowing about it. I would have to listen to your constant teasing and terrible puns."

"So if I promise not to tease you about sinking your claws into him you will do it?" Blake raised an eyebrow. "Had to get it out of my system."

 _Got her._ The corners of Blake's mouth twitched ever so slightly.

"Alright," Blake opened the door and stepped out of the room. "If you do that, I'll go and visit him tonight; maybe act out page 195."

Yang's mouth fell open.

"Wait!" She cried, rushing out the classroom door. "How did you know which book I had?"

"I recognized the scene you described."

* * *

Ozpin had several issues to deal with.

The first was the report from Qrow.

"Are you sure killing the Intelligent Grimm caused this?" Ozpin tried to clarify.

"In all honesty, no." Qrow rubbed his head from the other end of the call. Ozpin had him stay behind while Team RWBY and Touma returned. They had to make sure the town was safe from all threats; whether it was White Fang or the Grimm. "After we killed it and Wellen took over, that fear comment… Grimm were still heard in the distance until then. After that, all the noise stopped."

"So you think it had to be something else?" Ozpin asked.

"We took out a large number of Grimm," Qrow explained. "Even if there were a lot more than what we were told about, the village should be safe. I did a sweep around the perimeter to check and see if there were more. You know what I saw?"

"What?"

"Grimm, fleeing away from civilization towards the heart of the Grimm Wilds." Qrow's face grew dark. "It was like when you showed me their reaction to the boy's hand. This time, he wasn't even there."

"I don't know if Mr. Kamijou has the ability to protect an area once he leaves." Ozpin said neutrally, though his mind was processing all the new information. "If he stays in an area for long periods of time, the effect seems to spread. I wonder if something happened during the White Fang attack that caused him to leave… a mark?"

"Like how dogs pee and mark their territory?" Qrow laughed. "Hey, if that's true, maybe get him to pee around Vale and see what that does."

"I don't think it would be quite that simple." Ozpin smiled briefly. "I will let you know if that is true. Can you say for certain that Relotem is safe?"

"Probably the safest place in the kingdom until his mark wears off."

"Thank you," Ozpin told him gratefully. "Sorry to have to make you do all this. Do one more sweep and then return. I have a feeling we will need you close at hand."

"Whatever. You better have a room with alcohol stocked for me or I'm demanding a pay raise."

"You will have to talk to Glynda about that. She handles our finances."

"I'll tell her you OK'd cutting the coffee budget."

"I'll see what I can do."

Ozpin cut the line and sighed. Of course Glynda wouldn't believe Qrow. She had been trying to cut their coffee budget for years. It's just she would use Qrow's statement as an excuse and pass off the blame. On a more serious note, the information about the Grimm's flight was something worth investigating. If Touma had indeed done something to guard an area, this could be a turning point. Its usefulness depended entirely on how long the effect would last.

"It's a shame his stay here won't be too much longer it seems." He muttered.

The reason for his statement laid on his desk. An unassuming black box laid there. It wasn't painted. The metal itself was black and unlike anything he had seen before. There were no markings and the surface was seamless. It wasn't big, maybe the size of a brick. If Ozpin had seen it laying around, he wouldn't have paid it a second thought. The reason it was a curiosity was how it got onto his desk. He had just been sitting in his office pretending to do paperwork, knowing Glynda would do it eventually, when he was interrupted.

Interrupted by a flash of green light.

He nearly fell out of his chair when the black box appeared out of nowhere on his desk. Unsure what it was, he tapped it with the end of his cane. There was a chance it was a prank by some of his students. Instead, a familiar voice seemed to resonate from the box.

" _Hello, Ozpin."_

It had been a number of years since Ozpin had heard that voice.

" _It is a shame that the breach in the Veil between our worlds was only open long enough for me to send this short message. I do apologize if you have any questions. Thank you for creating a small interdimensional explosion for us to track down the missing students. Wellen Fischer, the individual who caused the incident, attempted to control forces he should not have. His meddling is what had caused the fluctuations which made it nearly impossible to track their disappearance. Now that I know the dimension they are in, you have saved me months of searching. Thank you. Once the dimensional irregularities calm down, we will be working to get those children home. Additional information will be sent to you in due course. Until then, farewell Ozpin."_

Ozpin could replay the message by tapping it as he had done at least two times now. He sighed before standing up and walking over to the window. Aleister was a complicated individual. A genius but also an enigma. You always had to be careful of people from another world. Their morals and values may not match your own. Accelerator proved their powers can also be leagues apart. Ozpin enjoyed the view for a few minutes before starting a fresh pot of coffee.

He was going to need it.

* * *

Anger.

Hatred.

Hunger.

Touma trashed in his bed as those feelings made it difficult to sleep. Weirdly, he didn't think they were his feelings. It was like they were part of him and yet not. His right arm tingled as though something was moving beneath it. Yet, everytime he checked it, there was nothing visible. There was an occasional sharp stabbing pain that disappeared as fast as it appeared. Almost like an insect bite. It made sleeping difficult. The quiet was also getting to him. Beacon's medical bay was pretty much deserted excluding himself. Yang had been right about students trying to avoid visiting Tsune, not that he blamed them.

The place she injected that… needle didn't begin to describe that monstrosity… into him still hurts too.

He managed to get a little bit of sleep, but kept waking up with the strangest feeling that something was moving his right hand. Everytime he looked, it was completely fine. It was probably just nerves after the stressful mission and he still cursed himself for letting the mayor die. That guy may have been crude, but he was still a person who was entrusted to protect his home. Touma felt frustration well up within him at the thought. Not at anyone particularly but his own uselessness.

His wrist suddenly felt like it was on fire and he sat up in the bed instantly.

"Was I too loud?"

Touma nearly had a heart attack at the voice. He turned in panic to the window sill and saw a familiar girl.

Blake.

She wasn't smiling, but her face held a soft expression. A hand pushed some of her hair back over her ear. Touma's eyes then traveled downwards and took in what she wore. Instead of her uniform or combat attire that he was used to, she was wearing something else. A black, long-sleeved, yukata-style shirt with white edging over a purple undershirt, and a matching skirt. A black obi was wrapped around her waist and her usual bow still adorned her head. From her position, the yukata revealed a good part of her legs, up to her thighs, and his eyes lingered on the pale skin for a fraction longer than the rest of her. The fractured moon was behind her, casting her in its pale light and making her look all the more mysterious.

 _Okay, I'm still dreaming. There is no way Blake is here in the middle of the night. I'm not that lucky._

Even as the thought came and went through his head, Touma knew it wasn't true. Things felt too real. Neo might have been willing to play a trick like this to get Blake in trouble, but the girl actually talked. He calmed his nerves, forced his eyes up to meet hers, and managed to choke out a few words.

"Blake…? Why are you-…?"

"We need to talk."

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish to ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter. Remember, everything is SilverFang's fault.**

 **SF88: Fuck you Dark, give me more Neo scenes you shit-bag.**

 **Also, it came to my attention from a reader Tsune was invented by Coeur Al'Aran, a popular RWBY writer. I knew she was from some fic but couldn't remember which one. As she started to have more than a passing name in the story, (Might have also made a reference to the story she was in. Heh.) I simply wanted to make sure he got full credit for her. Anytime someone helps out with my stories or I get an idea from them, I want to make sure they get credit.**

 **The following chapter will be the last one of this arc. Please have any last minute ship names by then. The next chapter will have my current list. Also, per SilverFang's yelling and threatening to steal my keys, next chapter will have some Neo scenes.**

 **SF88: There damn well better be or I take your keys and quit.**

* * *

 _Omake: Yang's Nightmare_

Yang was making her way to Team TAN's dorm room.

 _Alright, Blake. Time for you to come back. It's been a week._

Yang had bribed Ruby to take Last Order and Neo away from the room. The last thing she needed was for one of those two to barge in as she was convincing Blake to come back. In all fairness, Accelerator would probably be onboard for Blake to leave, so his presence didn't matter. As Yang approached the door, she heard something that made her stop.

A woman gasped, followed by a very noticeable and erotic cry.

 _Oh, this is great._

Yang couldn't believe it. Blake was having some alone time while everyone else was out of the room. It wasn't like Yang didn't appreciate her own alone time, you just didn't do it during the day when people could walk in at any moment. Figuring this wasn't a good time, she planned to leave and come back in an hour, when another voice made her freeze on the spot.

This time, she heard a male grunt.

Immediately, Yang pressed herself against the door to listen. The sounds of both male and female were coming through, followed by a cry of ecstasy. Yang's smile couldn't be any broader.

 _Yes! They finally did it. Looks like Blake finally sunk her claws into Touma. Oh, Blakey. Good job. You needed some stress relief._

Her eyes darted to the doorknob and she grinned. It would be hilarious to barge in on them if they left the door unlocked. They sounded like they were done so it would be the perfect time. She slowly turned the knob and found it unlocked. Her grin widening, she threw the door open and barged in.

"Hey, don't mind me! Blake? You busy?"

"Huh?" To Yang's horror, it wasn't Touma that sat up in one of the beds.

It was Accelerator.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Heh." Yang rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Looking… for Blake. Didn't mean to interrupt."

"You always had bad timing. Ever since you were born."

Yang froze on the spot.

The woman emerged from the covers, her black hair spilling everywhere. Besides that, she looked very much like an older Yang.

"M-mom?!" Yang gasped. "W-what… h-how… why?!"

"Accelerator and I met during their last mission and hit it off." Raven answered, the sheets barely covering her naked torso.

"She promised listening to her would be worth my while." He put his hands behind his head and leaned up against the wall. "Turns out she was right."

"So say hello to your new dad." Raven added.

"Who's your daddy now?" Accelerator asked, smirking.

Yang's scream could be heard on the moon.

"What's wrong, Yang?"

Yang's eye bulged out of her head when Ruby's head emerged from under the sheets at the foot of the bed.

"I was just about to play with Aunt Raven's kitty and Uncle Accelerator's snake!"

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Yang bolted straight up in her bed that night only to be hit by three pillows from her roommates, who were trying to sleep.


	31. Secrets in the Dark

**At long last, the final chapter of the… volume, arc, book one? One of those probably. Sorry this took a lot longer than I would have liked. My main beta reader and my backup beta reader have gone through a lot of real life stuff and everything just kept being delayed. Eventually I had to find a couple other people to give it a look over. I've actually been pretty busy myself and haven't written nearly as much as I use to. Maybe I just need a break and go use my time on something else for a few weeks before coming back to writing fresh and eager. If I do, now's a good time since we reached the end of… season one? Also, at the end of this chapter there is the list of ship names. Look them over, laugh, have fun, and if you think you can do better try. The worst thing that will happen is I'll shake my head and not add your suggestion.**

 **shiroryuu012: That's the point of them.**

 **TykkiMikk: At this time, no. He has to get stronger or maybe unlock them again.**

 **Chroma: He wouldn't let some of his most important projects disappear like that.**

 **IllusionBreaker: Nah, they are just going to have some nighttime fun.**

 **Maelaeran: It was, but SilverFang made me redo it.**

 **Ahsoei: At least one of them will.**

 **JumpingToaster: I might skip a day or two now and then, but I don't have any plans to go long time skips. If someone is knocked out, other people get a chance to be the star for a bit. A bunch of hormonal teenagers with powers causing drama? Nah, that can't happen.**

 **D. : HA! You saw that too.**

 **Fernandamichelleraya: It was only a flesh wound. Women never hit 30, they are 29 forever. Ruby's young and in experienced with love thanks to Yang. She doesn't know how to express it and that will cause her to lose. She has to be more aggressive. That omake was pure gold.**

 **Guest: I don't want to waste Adam like the actually series did. He had so much potential.**

 **BlueJack22: So many things happening.**

 **TheB: So you wanted the dragon to… *puts on sunglasses*… DISARM him?**

 **Thanatos 2018: Karma at its finest.**

 **Aurora Halsey: Just come up with the best ship name.**

 **ShadowBloodedge9396: Someone told Accelerator he couldn't do something. He doesn't like that. Adam now has plot purposes and won't be wasted. Aleister just told Ozpin he's working on it. Could be a while before anything happens.**

 **Guest13: He normally doesn't. You seem to have spotted some foreshadowing. Neo might get revenge and be sad about losing her toy, but wouldn't cry. No one likes shots, not even dragons.**

 **Guest: What? You don't want Shiage Hamazura? To complete the protagonist trio? Mikoto could handle all of Atlas, but a lot less uses against Grimm besides shooting lightning and iron sand. I doubt she's going to show up anytime soon. Oh, god! Yang and Worst team up against Accelerator? Even he may fall to that.**

 **TheLastSterling: I was actually thinking it has to be a magic side person if I wanted to add someone else. Only for the reason that magic brought them here and magic is needed to help break the veil between worlds. Leivinia would be pretty funny to watch stand up to the others. Heaven Chancellor doesn't cause pain. He's a nice guy.**

 **Christianlukebustillo: 1) It's not ending soon. 2) Good question and there is a good possibility he won't come back. 3) Grimm Dragon would be attracted to Touma obviously.**

 **LL: That's what those guys do. Touma has a way of changing people, even criminals. I never said Aleister isn't up to something. He just doesn't want to lose his projects.**

 **WiliamZ0: The Dragon scenes are great, but you can't use them often. Silver Eyes vs Dragon Strike. The final showdown between light and monsters. There is also the possibility the dragon eats the light. Accelerator telling Ozpin all about Aleister? That sure would be fun to write. I'm sure Touma and Accelerator will talk about all the fun they had on their trips. Secret late night rendezvous between Blake and Touma? I'm sure it's going to end up with Tsune finding them in a compromising position.**

 **Guest: Just look up SilverFang88. He's really easy to find. I plan to address Blake not telling the others this chapter.**

 **SlothDGod: The might Grimm sloth that is the sign of the end times? It will be when Nora and Last Order team up.**

 **hollowichigo12: This chapter is more of a wrap up for the arc. Not quite as action packed, but lots of stuff discussed. I want to limit characters, as there are still many RWBY characters I have yet to use. Yes, Winter meeting Accelerator is planned. I'm not perfect, I admit that. I do this for fun so there will be those kinds of slip ups. It's the reason I have betas who fix A LOT of problems. You should see my first draft compared to what I post.**

 **Guest: From what has been shown, Othinus is more powerful.**

 **Mr. X: 1) SilverFang made me save her. 2) Because by the time the attack reaches his arm, the dragon stops it. 3) She SAID she's 29. 4) The horrible hidden meanings. 5) Maybe. 6) Tsune will take pictures obviously.**

 **Prof. Pancakes: Other people have said it was a good impact. But, you have a point. Less supernatural stuff prevents it from showing off its true power.**

 **Plague: SilverFang made me save her.**

 **Moongaze14: Nice.**

 **Guest: Wow, really? It's been that long?**

 **Sigmundr Rumare: ACIP was my first project. SV is what I learned from it. I laughed at that name.**

 **Jose19: He is a bag of wasted potential.**

 **A certain guest: Nah, there isn't that much lore. Raven likes strong guys and probably won't mind that Accelerator is a little scrawny. Aleister, the most powerful piece on the board. Everything is part of his plan. That's an interesting idea. Aiwass shows up just to mess with people.**

 **G119: Yes, Her eyes are super-duper magical.**

 **Oofer-Gang: Maaaaaaybe.**

 **Rajarshi Sarkar: Neo is both here and not here. She only reveals herself when you think you are safe.**

 **UltraHydra: Actually, here it might be a good thing.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.**

* * *

"T-talk?" Touma stammered. "A-about what?"

This wasn't him being oblivious. There was only one reason why Blake would have visited him in the middle of the night. She wanted to talk about what happened against Adam and the White Fang. The others didn't seem to know about what happened, even Ruby. Though from their earlier conversation, Ruby might have seen… something. He gulped as he stared back at Blake. Her face was impassive and her amber eyes were transfixed on him unblinkingly. He shifted uncomfortably.

Blake waited a few minutes before speaking.

"I… want to thank you… and apologize."

Touma blinked in surprise.

"Apologize?" He asked, confused. Those words were the last thing he expected.

"You know about my history with the White Fang," Blake explained, sitting down at the edge of the bed, her expression slowly shifted from being unreadable to obviously sadden. "Why I joined them. Why I believed in their cause." Touma nodded. "When they started robbing dust with Torchwick, I went off alone to try to prove they weren't involved. I wanted to believe they weren't involved. Once it became clear they were, I wanted to stop them. It became an obsession, and it took Yang, Weiss, and Ruby to snap me out of it. I hadn't been able to sleep, I spent all my free time looking for them and clues on their next target, barely eating. My mind and body were being pushed to the limit."

She was glad he didn't speak. His expression spoke volumes, though. Unlike Blake, he couldn't hide his feelings. There was sympathy there, but also more. She was glad about that. Sympathy was the last thing she wanted. He wanted to know more about her history before making any judgments. This was already more than most people would have given her. He was letting her go at her own pace and to tell him what she wanted to when she was ready, and she was grateful for that. She had time to prepare for this, but that didn't make it any easier. The words were hard to speak out loud.

"Yang helped me." The corners of Blake's lips twitched upwards. "She showed me what was wrong with what I was doing and forced me to slow down. I hadn't done anything reckless since then… at least until we first met." She sighed. "I'll admit it. I was quite reckless. I fooled myself into thinking because I hadn't actively gone searching for the White Fang, it was okay to spy on them when their activities fell into my lap. The results, as you know, were a complete fiasco. You saved me." For the first time, Touma opened his mouth, but then seemed to think better of it, and closed it again. "You think I should have learned my lesson, right?"

She chuckled weakly.

"When I saw them at Relotem, hurting innocent civilians, I just snapped." Blake's hands tightened on the sheets until her knuckles grew white. "I ran forward to investigate instead of regrouping and making sure we had an escape route. Especially since you aren't technically a Hunter." She continued before giving him a chance to protest. "I know you can take care of yourself, but in most people's eyes, you are a civilian. Your power works on Aura and Grimm, not rifles. If a stray bullet hit you…"

"Wouldn't be the first time." Touma tried to remark casually.

Blake raised an eyebrow at this but decided not to comment.

"You followed me, despite the risks." She pointed out. "Even when I tried to make you stay behind."

"I'm pretty stubborn sometimes," Touma admitted. "I wasn't going to stay behind when people were getting hurt right in front of me."

Blake smiled this time. Truly smiled.

"I know. We were both being stupid, but it was better than letting someone die." Her face darkened, and she gripped the bed again. "I didn't expect _him_ to be there, though."

"Adam Taurus." Touma stated.

"You've met him before… haven't you?"

Blake could only recall saying Adam's first name. The fact Touma knew his last name meant they had at some point crossed paths. At the very least he must have heard about him from someone else. She was curious about how much he knew about him.

"Only briefly," Touma admitted. "When I was at Mt. Glenn, he stopped by to check up on the progress. Roman made sure to keep him away from me. From what I had seen, he doesn't like humans."

"No. No, he doesn't" Blake paused. "The fact that he was willing to spare you was already somewhat of a miracle. Do you know why he did that?"

"Not a clue." Touma shook his head. "I never really got to talk to him." Blake hummed in thought at this. "But I'm kind of glad I didn't. What I saw of him…" He trailed off.

"He's changed," Blake admitted and then took a deep breath. "This brings me back to my apology and the thank you that I wanted to give. He was there because of me. He had to have been. It couldn't have been a coincidence. Because of me, you were nearly killed just because you wanted to help. I can't apologize enough."

"Stop!" Touma held up a hand. "You have nothing to apologize for. You can't blame yourself for what others do. Everyone is free to choose their own path. If someone goes off the wrong one, all we can do is give them a chance to find another. So, Blake, you have nothing to apologize for."

"But-…"

"Nothing!" He repeated firmly.

A smile graced her lips.

"Then how about a thank you?" Blake asked. She looked directly at him. Without waiting for his answer, she continued. "Thank you. For fighting by my side, for standing up to Adam when my determination wavered, for defending me… thank you."

"It wasn't anything special," Touma muttered, quickly looking up toward the ceiling. The way her eyes softened, the moonlight lighting her face, the gratefulness in her voice, Touma didn't trust himself to maintain eye contact. There were certain reactions a sixteen-year-old boy had that could not be fully controlled. His face felt hot at the very least, and he shifted his lower body. "I did what anyone would have done."

"No." Blake leaned forward, forcing him to look at her directly in the eye. "It was not _nothing._ It meant a lot and barely anyone would have done it. Most people would have fled immediately or given up after seeing how strong he is. You did neither. So please, do not make light of your actions."

"I…" The glare she was giving him made it impossible to argue. "Sorry."

"That's better." Blake huffed and sat back down at the side of his bed. "So I realize you probably have some idea, but there was a reason Adam's appearance affected me so much."

"I figured he was either a friend or teammate back during your time in the White Fang." Touma guessed.

"More than that. He was not only my friend but also my mentor..."

Touma's eyes widened.

"…And I loved him."

The silence in the room was heavy.

"Well… the old him." Blake looked at the floor. It was too dark to tell, but Touma could swear there was a bit of water in her eyes. "He wasn't always like what you saw. When we first met, he was kind, strong, optimistic and yet was realistic in his ideals. He originally wanted nothing more than what I do now. For Faunus and humans to be equal. A world where we didn't have to fight each other and unite against the Grimm. We were going to change the world. Then…" Her words got stuck in her throat.

Something warm pressed down on her shoulder. Touma had reached out his left hand, being careful to avoid his right, and rested it reassuringly on her. It was a simple gesture. Nothing more, and yet it calmed her down.

"Thank you." When he removed his hand, she continued. "As time passed, he started changing. Becoming more willing to kill in situations where he could have easily done otherwise. All those times he called it self-defense, but I heard a few people say otherwise. Then he went on a mission up to Atlas. It was supposed to be a peace summit between the old White Fang at the SDC. While there were occasional clashes, there were never large scale fights or loss of life. We were under the impression the bad PR was getting to them, and they wanted it to stop. Finally, there was a way to improve working conditions and treatment for Faunus. We were optimistic…"

"Someone set up a trap?" Touma whispered, and Blake nodded.

"I was on a scout mission to determine if we could use a path as a supply line, so I don't know the details. What I do know is only Adam, and one other person came back alive. The other person died from his wounds. I don't believe the Schnees actually ordered it, but rather someone at the company who worked with Atlas Security and ambushed them. Adam was hospitalized for weeks." Her knuckles turned white again as she gripped the side of the bed. "He changed after that. The kind man I knew faded away and I couldn't do anything. He snapped at people, grew more violent, and killed anyone who got in his way. The mask he wears was never taken off after that. Eventually, it became too much, and I tried to leave."

"Tried?" Touma frowned. "But you did leave."

"I tried multiple times before succeeding," Blake corrected him. "A couple of times I was about to leave but stopped and went back. I thought I could change him back to the man he was before. To help him overcome his trauma. It didn't work. I failed." She stood up and looked out the window for a moment. "If anything, it's almost like he became dependent on me. He would chase any other members of the White Fang away if they got close. He would always want to keep me close by. It was always under the pretense of training and watching over me. And now, I finally understand it, thanks to you... He wanted Blake. Not me, but the person who represented the past. The time when he still had hope." She grabbed her arms. "I don't know what to do. I didn't expect to see him again this soon. I ran away in the middle of a mission, Touma. I abandoned him."

"It sounds like you did everything you could," Touma reassured her. He would have gotten up, but the painkiller made him a little dizzy if he tried. "You didn't abandon him, Blake. You got out of an unhealthy situation. We aren't omnipotent beings. Just people. We can't do everything."

"Would you have tried to save him?" Blake asked. "Would you have been able to?"

"I would, and I don't know." Touma shrugged. "I will never give up on someone, but I can't be everywhere. There were people I couldn't save, and there will continue to be. But there is one thing you have to remember." Blake cocked her head. "He's alive. You're alive. We are all alive. As long as we are, there's a chance to change. There's still a chance to save him. He's not too far gone yet. He didn't try to kill me immediately, a human as you put it. That's saying something, isn't it?"

Blake remained silent at this, but her mind was working in overdrive. The fact Adam did try to let Touma live was a miracle in itself. Adam didn't care about humans anymore. He wanted them to serve Faunus. For them to become slaves. He didn't want equality anymore. And yet he was willing to keep Touma alive if he moved aside so Adam could reach her. There was a chance it was because finding her put him in a good mood, but maybe there was more to it. Could Touma have possibly done something during his time in the White Fang? The only way for her to know is to question some of them. Which wouldn't be possible anytime soon.

"That's… possible." Her lips had grudgingly formed a small smile at his optimism. "It does give me hope. I may not love him like I used to, but I want to help him. Even if it takes him a lifetime to make up for all he's done."

"Does… the rest of your team know about him?" Touma asked hesitantly.

"I told them about him," Blake replied. "Though only the fact he was my teacher, and I left the White Fang on a mission with him. I was… too scared to tell them all of it."

"I think you should," Touma told her. "As your friends, they would want to help-"

"That's the problem!" Blake cried out and then slammed her hand on her mouth. If she wasn't careful, she might alert Tsune, and that would be a major issue. "I know they would help, and that they would be worried for me, but Adam's an elite fighter who would cut them down if they got in his way. I… don't want to lose them…"

"It's better for them to know," Touma pressed on. "Being kept in the dark is only going to cause more problems. Once they find out, it's going to ruin the trust between you. Be honest. Tell them why you are scared. I doubt any of them will laugh at you. Shoot, Yang may even stop making puns and be serious."

Blake let out a small chuckle.

"Maybe." She sighed and walked over to his bedside before sitting down again. "Look at me. I came here to tell you everything because it got you involved, and now you're cheering me up."

"It's actually kind of nice to know what's going on around me," Touma said. "I'm used to only knowing half, if even that."

"Yeah…" Blake went quiet for a minute and just enjoyed the silence. "I have to confess. There was another reason I wanted to talk to you privately."

"About…?" Touma knew what it was. The air had grown heavy. Blake stared at him and he raised Imagine Breaker. Her head slowly nodded. "I don't know." He stated honestly.

Blake opened her mouth, and there was a flash of anger in her eyes.

"I'm not trying to lie to you!" Touma interjected quickly. "It's just that I literally don't know what IT is."

That was all it took for Blake to calm down. In hindsight, she felt kind of stupid. When she thought about it, his answer was actually reasonable to her question. Just because something was from his world, doesn't mean he would know everything about it. A monster like that couldn't be natural anywhere.

"Can you tell me about it?" Blake asked, rubbing her arm. "All I know about it is what I saw. You lost an arm, a… monster came out and nearly ate Adam. It was immune to Dust rifles and vanished inside of your arm." She paused. "Then your hand just reformed. I literally saw it break apart from the ground and reform on that severed stump without even a scar. I didn't mention it to Tsune, because there was no proof you lost your hand." She shivered. "The memory still causes chills."

"I wish I could tell you more," Touma said honestly. "All I know about it is what I have seen. The first time, I didn't connect it to losing my right hand. We were fighting a man whose power allowed him to manipulate reality based on his imagination."

"…What?"

"Long story, but it involved magic," Touma explained quickly, not wanting to waste too long on another subject he really didn't know much about. "He could conjure blades, guns, explosions, just from his imagination. We tricked him into thinking I wasn't human after he cut off my arm. Due to his fear and subconscious, he imagined me as a monster. The result was the first time that head emerged."

"It kind of looks like a dragon." Blake pointed out. It reminded her of the mythical beasts she read in stories. "Can we just call it that from now on? For simplicity?"

"Sure." Touma shrugged. "Don't really have a better name for it. There have been a few other times it's happened. Every time it only attacked the person I was fighting. It never actually attacked any of my friends or me."

"So it's on your side then?" Blake asked.

"I don't think it's on anyone's side, Touma admitted. "If my hand is a host for it or something, it might be protecting itself."

"But you controlled it," Blake pushed. "You told it to stop attacking, and because of that, Adam's alive." She took a deep breath and looked down at the ground. "That's actually another reason I need to thank you. Even after he tried to kill you, you spared his life."

"I won't kill someone," Touma stated firmly. "What happened there… I'm not sure how to explain it. It's kind of… like something else forced it back? It didn't want to return but sort of… submitted? I guess that would be a good word?"

Blake pondered this for a moment.

"Could it be your power or something?" Blake half asked, even if she was muttering to herself. "Maybe your hand, the Imagine Breaker, is some kind of container… seal, for this dragon. Then your power is what brings it back."

"I really don't think I have any power, but it's as good of a guess as any." Touma replied.

"How often have you seen it?"

"Less than half a dozen times, I think?"

"Was any of those times different than the others?" Blake asked. "I don't know… different colors or something? It seemed to start off transparent but grew more opaque the longer it was out."

Touma remained silent.

"Something happened. Didn't it?"

"There was one time something else happened," Touma admitted. He hesitated, not wanting to diverge who was involved. It revolved around a friend of his, and it really should be her story to tell. However, Blake had been honest with him about what led up to Adam showing up, even though it was hard for her. The least he could do is be honest here. "A friend of mine was in trouble. Her power was running amok and threatened to swallow up everything around her. The power she was giving off was too powerful for my hand to negate-..."

"But your hand negates things instantly." Blake interrupted. "Grimm, our Aura, Dust, it's all instantaneous."

"I don't understand how everything works," Touma admitted. "What the rules are. However, if I touch the source of something supernatural, yes… it will be erased. If someone shoots a continuous beam like fire or electricity at me, I can only negate what reaches me. There's a limit to how much I can negate at once. Well, my friend hit me with a power I couldn't erase fast enough and it blew off my hand."

Blake stared at him. The fact his hand had a limit was new information to her. It didn't seem like the Grimm were even close to that power to him. His world seemed to have scarier things than Grimm there.

"So… what happened?" She asked.

"It wasn't just one," Touma continued ominously. "There were like… eight."

"…Eight?" Blake's voice came out as a whisper.

"All different colors and shapes," Touma added. "None of them were the one you saw. They were also much, much more solid."

Blake actually sat down at this.

"…There's more…" She muttered and trailed off.

"They saved my friend," Touma reiterated. "I can hardly complain about what they look like." He rubbed his wrist subconsciously. "They feel like they are alive somehow, and I don't know what would happen if they turned against me. I try not to rely on them." A small smile was forced into his lips. "Besides, having my hand blown off hurts."

Even Blake chuckled dryly.

"I suppose we can't really choose our powers here either." Her eyes noticed him touching his wrist more often than was needed. "Is something wrong?"

"I feel something like… I don't know… something crawling beneath my skin?" Touma answered. "Just… maybe it's a side effect of Tsune's medicines."

"I see." Blake stood up again. "Thank you for telling me this. Do you want to keep the dragons a secret from the others?"

"I… yes," Touma answered, and continued when he noticed Blake tilt her head. "I don't want to worry them, and it's not like they would know anything more than you or I do." Blake nodded in understanding. Regardless of her wishes, she would respect his. However, something came to mind.

"I think someone may know about them… or at least may have glimpsed them." Blake informed him.

"Ruby?"

"No, well… yes, she may have but hasn't admitted it." Blake shook her head. "Another student, Fox, mentioned something that coincides with what I saw."

"Fox?" Touma vaguely recalled him at the breach. Coco had pointed him out, but he couldn't recall having a conversation with that guy. "How would he know?"

"He's blind," Blake explained. "Yet his Semblance allows him to fight. He can see the Aura of people. When he saw you… he mentioned something about a monster living inside of you."

Touma stared at her.

"Most of us thought he was insane." She admitted. "Now? I think he caught a glimpse of the Dragon."

"Oh…" Touma scratched his head. "I'm really not sure what to say to him. You think he would believe me if I told him the truth?"

"Maybe?" Blake shrugged. "I don't think much will come of it. Just… don't expect to be good friends with him. While he has nothing against you, I don't think he would want to stay in the same room as you." Touma nodded. It wasn't like there was much more he could do. Then something occurred to him.

"You know…" Touma started off conversationally. "You mentioned to me before you weren't much of a talker, but I feel like we talk quite a bit."

One of Blake's eyebrows rose slightly.

"If there's something to discuss, I talk plenty." It was lucky for her it was dark, or Touma might have noticed her cheeks redden ever so slightly. "It's just… due to how we met, there was much we needed to discuss. Plus, you seem to understand my situation a lot more than others did at the start. Yang and I have talked about my past a bit too. She's brash, but I can trust her completely."

"It's good to have friends like that," Touma agreed. "Two of my best friends back home, we argue a lot, get in fights, but if I ever get in trouble, they would have my back." He scratched his wrist subconsciously. "I also have to thank you and your team too, now that I think about it."

"Us?" Blake was surprised by this statement.

"You all have really helped me… along with Accelerator and Last Order adjust to life on Remnant. Things could have been a lot worse if you guys didn't go out of your way to help us."

"I think you helped me more than I helped you." Blake pointed out.

"The first time was kind of my fault due to Roman using my power to suit his needs."

"I was the one who acted rashly and infiltrated the White Fang by myself."

They booked stared at each other until they couldn't take it anymore and laughed.

"Okay, we were both at fault, agreed?" Touma asked.

Blake nodded and smiled.

"One last thing," Blake suddenly stated. "Before I leave, I wanted to make you an offer, away from the others, especially Yang. She will take it the wrong way."

"An offer?" Touma asked. Nothing they had discussed would have led to this. "What do you mean?"

"Please let me know if there's anything you want," Blake explained. "As a final thank you."

"I told you-…" Touma started to say, but Blake put a finger over his lips.

"I know and I respect that you don't want anything," Blake whispered. "This is something I want to give. It doesn't have to be anything big if you would like. I know you aren't the type to ask for something extravagant. It would just help ease the burden in the back of my mind."

Her fierce amber eyes told Touma she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Something I want?" He mumbled, and Blake moved her hand.

His first thought was just something small, like a book, but there weren't any specific ones he could think of. The only stuff similar to what he read back home was some comics Jaune had. He could just borrow those. Touma wasn't materialistic either, so there weren't any physical items he could think of. Maybe a home cooked meal? That was an option. Though Beacon's food tended to be high quality, nothing beats a good meal made by a girl who cared about you. He was about to say this when the words caught in his throat. His eyes traveled over Blake's body, and his ears began to burn when he realized what he actually wanted. Embarrassment forced him to look away from her.

"What?" Blake asked, tilting her head.

"…nothing." Touma mumbled.

"Tell me." This was not a request from her.

"It's really nothing." Touma protested, still looking at the floor.

"Then why are you unable to look at me?" Blake demanded, and then her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh… I guess you are a boy after all and my request did sound… suggestive." This time it was her turn to avoid eye contact in embarrassment.

"That's not it!" Touma's eyes darted upwards at her words. "It's something else… I'm just not sure if it's appropriate."

"I promise to overlook your lack of understanding of social norms in our world this time." Blake recited as her lips twitched. In all fairness, Touma was trying to learn and she gave him credit for that. All of them did. Accelerator? Well, they had kind of given up on trying to get him to be civilized.

"Well…" It wasn't like Touma could really refuse now after what she said. His request would either be accepted or rejected. If rejected, maybe he could go back to the home cooked meal thing. Assuming Blake wasn't too mad at him. "I was kind of wondering…"

"Go on..." Blake told him, trying to sound kind though she was extremely curious about what he was about to ask.

"Could… I feel your cat ears?" Touma said hopefully.

Blake stared at him in silence.

"I know it's a stupid idea!" Touma cried out quickly, waving his hands, trying to dismiss what he just said. "It's just ever since I arrived, I kind of wanted to know if they were similar to animal parts back home. My roommate has a cat and it really doesn't like me… I think? And I saw yours back when we first met and thought they looked cute and I kind of wanted to feel them. Is it really rude to ask that? If so, I'm sorry, I can think of something else…"

While Touma continued to shove his foot in his mouth, Blake's mind slowly processed his words. It wasn't taboo for someone else to touch a Faunus part. What was rude was if they did it without permission. It really varied from person to person in all honesty. Someone like Sun would be more open about this than a member in the White Fang. Since she was hiding her heritage from the majority of the school, this really never came up. There was no doubt Touma's request was unusual, but not as extreme as the words that were flooding out of his mouth made it seem. It wasn't like what Cardin did to poor Velvet before Jaune stepped in that one time.

Blake slowly reached up and pulled the end of her bow.

Touma fell silent almost instantly as the bow fell to reveal a pair of black cat ears. Blake leaned forward so that her head was within an easy touch range. The shell-shocked boy raised his left hand slowly, still unsure whether this was actually happening. Blake rolled her eyes at his hesitation.

"Go ahead. After everything you've done, this is only a pittance. I don't mind if it's you, just be gentle. They are sensitive."

Touma couldn't believe his luck. His friends back home would kill him if they ever found out. Part of him felt like he had to brag to them if he ever got home. The other part wanted to take this secret to the grave of what happened between him and Blake. Slowly, he set his hand down on Blake's right ear and softly ran his fingers along it. The fur was just like he imagined it; soft and smooth like silk. At the same time, they were warm. They were part of Blake's body. Index's cat back home felt similar, but maybe it was because Blake's ears were larger, they just felt more… complete? Not wanting to waste this opportunity, he continued to slowly move his finger along her ear.

"Prrr."

Touma's hand froze.

"Did… did you just purr?" His asked uncertainly.

"No!" The force of her tone implied she wasn't telling the truth and just wanted to drop the subject. She pulled back and stood up immediately, regaining her composure. "Yang must never know about this. Understand?"

"Err-…?"

" _Understand?_ "

"Yes." Touma answered meekly.

"Thank you." Blake's expression softened. She knew he would keep his word. "Sorry for reacting like that… it's kind of embarrassing." She paused and looked at the clock on the wall. "I do need to get going though. The longer I'm here, the greater the risk of getting caught." She stated. "Plus, we don't want to give Yang more time to let her imagination go wild." Touma chuckled. "Before I go, there's one last thing I want to do."

"And that-…?"

Touma never got a chance to say anything before Blake leaned forward and gently pressed her lips against his forehead. Every thought in his mind just burst like a balloon and his words stuck in his throat. Amber eyes met his own as the catgirl leaned back, the moonlight only amplifying her beauty. Part of Touma wanted her to stay, but his brain was still fried. Blake walked to the door and opened it silently. Before she disappeared through it, she turned back."

"Thank you again… for everything."

The door shut and it took Touma another couple of minutes to rejoin the present.

"Does… does she actually like me?" Touma asked the empty room, still refusing to believe what just happened. He shook his head and slumped back into the bed. "No, can't be. Maybe that's just how girls thank people in this world. It's not like it was on the lips…"

His voice trailed off as drowsiness overtook him. The excitement finally wore off and exhaustion hit him like a truck. The medicine in his bloodstream probably didn't help keep him alert. Another minute passed and not a single sound disturbed the dark room.

Until the empty air in the corner of the room shattered to reveal a pink, white, and brown girl.

 _You really are dense,_ Neo thought, shaking her head in a combination of exasperation and anger.

There were a lot of things for her to think about. She knew the cat slut would try to sneak in tonight. Their conversation was made out in the open and Neo heard it clearly from behind her illusions. She had been waiting in the room most of the night for Blake to make her move. Part of her wanted to jump out and surprise them, but the conversation grew somewhat suspenseful. There was a lot to consider about what she learned, along with what would be needed to pass to Roman. These dragon things hidden in his hand might be an important piece of information for their plans later.

Then, of course, there was the goodbye that infuriated her.

As she left the room, Neo vowed to make sure he was marked as hers.

Naturally, due to the private and serious nature of this conversation, the illusion girl wasn't the only one listening. Touma's Scroll was lying on the bedside stand and captured everything. The man on the other end listening leaning back in his chair, sipped some coffee, and debated what he should do next.

* * *

While everyone had been off on their mission, Neo had been stuck on Beacon. Her only companion was Last Order and the two of them were under the hawk-like gaze of the old hag of a teacher, Glynda Goodwitch. It was like she didn't trust Neo alone with Last Order when there had been plenty of previous occurrences where that was the case. After all, Neo was on her best behavior. She needed to get a little freedom to explore some of the less traveled corridors in Beacon for important reasons, not to mention Accelerator's threat hanging over her. Being a bloodstained smear on the walls wasn't her life goal.

Besides the teasing of those Huntresses in training, teasing Touma, teaching Last Order a few interesting things when the others weren't looking, Neo was proud of her efforts to hold herself back. No one had been killed or seriously maimed and she even got to smack the blonde bitch in the face during a match in front of the other students. If she was lucky, there would be another opportunity to do that. Or with the Faunus girl who was trying to get close to her property without permission. The fact both of them were alive was a testament to her kindness.

Again, she was on her best behavior.

So there was no reason why she should be stuck in a stuffy classroom with Last Order and Glynda, who kept glaring daggers at her. For some strange reason, Glynda didn't trust her, and it annoyed Neo. She couldn't do what she was supposed to until all eyes were off her. In all fairness, she had slipped around on her own to do things, like grab ice cream from the kitchen until Touma brought her some. Ozpin probably knew about it and as long as she didn't do anything outrageous, overlooked it.

He was a very laid back headmaster. If Roman gave himself up, Ozpin probably would let him teach at Beacon.

Neo laughed silently at that.

"What's so funny? MISAKA asks as MISAKA looks up from the game in surprise as you are losing."

Neo only shrugged and looked back down at the game, aware Glynda was watching them again from her desk. She was grading papers for one of her classes, so Neo and Last Order were stuck in her office. To pass the time, as Neo wasn't allowed a Scroll yet, Last Order suggested a game from her world. It was called Othello and seemed like a pretty basic game. All it took to play was a simple eight by eight board and some white and black chips. The four squares in the middle alternated between white and black and each turn they put down a chip. Any chips from the other player sandwiched between two of the player who just set one down got swapped. The winner was the person with the most of their chips. Neo instantly determined the corners were important and took care to take them.

The first game was close but Neo won by quite a few chips.

Turns out Last Order was a sore loser.

"Again!" MISAKA demands immediately as MISAKA doesn't like to lose."

Neo shrugged and let her go first. This time, understanding the finer points, Neo crushed her completely. Last Order only had 5 of her tiles at the end. In a combination of anger and disbelief, she flipped the board.

"How are you so good?! MISAKA demands as MISAKA knows a first-timer couldn't possibly be good. Remnant doesn't have this game and MISAKA just told you the rules!" Neo pulled out her tablet and typed a short message.

'G _it gud.'_

"MISAKA challenges you to a rematch, and this time MISAKA will win!"

' _Sure.'_

None of the games went much better for the poor girl. Neo tended to be merciless and hated to lose. At one point, she was just seeing if she could take the entire board, but no matter how close she got, she couldn't get them all. The game was not really designed for that. If her opponent had been someone more skilled, Neo might have enjoyed the mental challenge. As of now, Last Order wasn't very good because of her age. All this game did was distract her during the time she was forced to be in this prison. At long last, Glynda looked up.

"It's almost time for dinner to be served." She informed Last Order and Neo. "Can I trust you two to behave yourself until then?"

Neo responded with a maybe, earning her another glare.

"MISAKA will make sure to watch over Neo, MISAKA replies as MISAKA makes a snappy salute. MISAKA is used to watching over people. Accelerator would be lost without her!"

Neo snorted, and Glynda almost smiled.

"Okay. Just… try to stay out of trouble."

"MISAKA needs to drop off her game back at MISAKA's room." Glynda nodded, letting Last Order and Neo finally leave. "Accelerator is a lot better than MISAKA, MISAKA informs you, as MISAKA can't wait to see you lose."

Neo smirked and formed another illusion in the air.

' _Can't beat me on your own?'_

"MISAKA will have her revenge!"

Neo spent a good amount of the time they took to get back to their room needling the poor girl. Her reactions were priceless and she was way too easy to tease. One thing Neo couldn't understand was how childish jokes could affect her, but stories of mutilated Grimm didn't faze her. She supposed being a companion of someone like Accelerator, who could tear people in half, caused her to grow used to it. It was kind of weird in its own way, but Neo couldn't really find fault with it. She was the same way as a kid. Surviving on your own in the streets tended to make you grow up. That, or you find yourself trampled under someone else.

They got to the room and Neo started making her way to her freezer. Ice cream was one of the few pleasures in life from her childhood. The reason she liked it so much was that it tended to make things better. Being poor, it was a rare treat, until she learned how to steal without being caught. Her mom left the world when Neo was very young, but the memory of the first time her mom gave her ice cream still lived in her mind. Sadly, it was tainted shortly after when robbers broke into their home. That was the first time Neo killed someone. There wasn't any choice. For the first time, she felt powerful. A small girl living in the slums being pushed around by all the bigger kids was now on top. It didn't matter how small you were. If you were willing to go that far, people quickly learned you weren't someone to mess with.

That day started her down the path she was on now.

In all honestly, Neo enjoyed beating up people. It was an exhilarating feeling. Skilled at combat, an Illusion Semblance that let her escape and sneak up on anyone, and intelligent, there was no wonder Roman sought her out. He was the closest thing to a dad she ever had. He taught her everything he knew, and she excelled at it. Never did she dream she would be in a school for law-abiding Hunters and Huntresses, babysitting a little girl from another dimension.

Life was weird.

"Neo? MISAKA asks, as MISAKA pulls on your sleeve to grab your attention."

The sudden touch caused her to jump, and her hand was already moving to jab the neck of the little girl before she managed to stop herself. Last Order seemed unfazed by her actions.

"You've been staring at the freezer for five minutes, MISAKA points out. Can't decide what you want?"

Neo rolled her eyes and shook her head before closing the lid. It was true because she had become lost in her own thoughts. The fact she even thought about her past was unusual. It had been years since the last time she did. Beacon was affecting her, and it wasn't for the better. Her senses would grow dull if she didn't encounter people wanting to jump her. She might even have to volunteer for combat classes to keep her skills sharp. The other kids may be inferior to her, but she can use it as light exercise.

To cover herself, she tilted her head and looked questioningly at Last Order.

"Do you mind if we stop by Team RWBY's room? MISAKA asks. MISAKA left a book MISAKA wanted to finish reading today."

' _Can you access their room?'_ Neo asked curiously, using her tablet.

"MISAKA's scroll has a guest pass Weiss set up for me, MISAKA replies as MISAKA puffs out her chest to show her importance. It won't be long, MISAKA promises."

Neo shrugged nonchalantly, but the moment Last Order's back was turned, a huge grin appeared on her face.

With all of Team RWBY off on a mission and only Last Order, not the most observant person, around this was the perfect opportunity for a little fun. She moved over to her desk and opened a drawer. A small vial of green liquid vanished into her pocket before Last Order could notice anything. Neo gave the OK sign, and the two of them left. Last Order started going on about the book she was reading, even though Neo turned her out. It seems she was used to not being listening too or just didn't notice. When they reached Team RWBY's dorm, Last Order held up her Scroll, and the door slid open.

"MISAKA will only be a second, MISAKA promises." She started going through a pile of books on Blake's desk, and Neo took the opportunity to slip away toward the bathroom.

Leaving an illusion behind her in case Last Order turned around, Neo slipped through the door silently and looked around. The bathroom was kept clean and Neo started rummaging around looking for her target. At last, she found it, a basket filled with shampoo. Now the question was which one should she choose? There wasn't much time before Last Order found what she wanted. Neo disregarded the rose scented one. It most likely belonged to Red and, while Neo didn't like her, there were bigger fish to fry. The insanely expensive ones probably belonged to the Schnee girl. Again, Neo ignored them. That left several other bottles. Deciding it didn't really matter which one, as it more of a surprise that way, she pulled the small vial of liquid out of her pocket and poured it into one of the bottles. She closed it up tightly, shook it vigorously, and put everything back the way she found out.

Then she left to join Last Order, who finally found what she was looking for.

"Look what MISAKA found, MISAKA brags as MISAKA holds up the interesting belt." Held in her hand was indeed a belt, but Neo's eyes traveled specifically to where the belt buckle would have been. There was a crystal there and even Last Order noticed it. "Isn't this a Dust crystal? MISAKA asks as MISAKA is unable to keep the interest out of her voice." Neo still didn't understand why Last Order kept saying what she was doing or feeling, but it did make things easier to recognize. "Is Dust normally attached to clothes like this?"

Neo shook her head.

Dust infused clothes were a thing, though you saw it more in Atlas than anywhere else. It strengthened clothes without adding weight like armor did. Aura kind of negated the need for it. They didn't provide a lot of protection. They merely made the clothes more resistant to tears and there were already synthetic materials that did that. Dust infused metal was another thing. Atlas had been experimenting with Dust being added to the smelting process of metal ore to make nearly indestructible metal. The data on how they are doing this was top secret and Roman had been planning to somehow steal the designs and pass it on to other Kingdoms. They were sure to pay a pretty penny.

Well, that was until Cinder showed up and made him her errand boy.

"Well… what do you think it is?" Last Order held it up for Neo to observe.

Neo examined it closely. From what she could see, instead of the belt buckle, there was a small container for the actual crystal. The straps didn't seem to have any other function besides support. There was a button on the side of the buckle case and countless thin wires were visible from behind the glass. The crystal was obviously a power source. The question was, what exactly did it power?

Neo gestured to put it on.

"Are you sure? MISAKA asks hesitantly. This belongs to Weiss."

Neo nodded and gestured again.

It wasn't like Last Order would get in trouble. She would apologize, act sad, and everyone would forgive her. If Neo tried to use it, everyone would immediately accuse her of being a thief. Probably out of jealousy because she was so attractive and had an active lifestyle. Girls were so petty, especially that blonde bimbo and kitty cat. Last Order would have to be the one to actually take and use that belt. Her personality would cause her to admit to taking it immediately and protect Neo from any retribution.

There was also a chance it could blow up.

Which wouldn't be Neo's fault at all.

' _Press the button on the side of the buckle,'_ Neo suggested, pointing to the switch after Last Order put it on.

"Nothing happened, MISAKA reports feeling disappointed as MISAKA was hoping something cool would happen." She twirled around on the spot, trying to see her back.

Neo was also disappointed. Weiss must not have finished… whatever it was. Bored now, she left the room and Last Order was quick to follow, leaving the belt device on.

"What do you think the cafeteria is serving today? MISAKA asks."

Neo remained silent. She didn't really care.

"I hope it's spaghetti, MISAKA adds."

Again, Neo didn't respond and kept walking.

"Though hamburgers are nice too, MISAKA continues."

Neo's lack of response was finally getting to Last Order.

"Sadly they decided ice cream was unhealthy and got rid of all of their entire stock on campus, MISAKA lies evilly as MISAKA tries to see if Neo is really listening or not."

Neo's footsteps faltered for a moment.

"So you _were_ listening! MISAKA declares triump-…OW! MISAKA cries as MISAKA rubs her forehead. What was that for?!"

Neo had flicked her and then explained herself with her floating illusionary wording.

' _Never joke about that.'_

"Sorry, MISAKA apologizes. MISAKA just wanted to see if you were really ignoring her or just not responding." Last Order darted forward. "Last one to the cafeteria is a rotten egg." She started running and turned a corner.

"Oomph"

Last Ordered collided with someone and fell backwards.

"Ow! Did MISAKA get hit by a truck…Penny?!" She stared in surprise as her eyes focused on the ginger girl in front of her. Unlike her, Penny didn't move at all. There was a significant size difference along with the mass difference. After all, Penny was secretly a robot designed by Atlas with Aura. Only Ruby and Last Order knew that though. Neo and the others did not.

"Hello, Friend Last Order!" Penny responded cheerfully, as she reached out a hand to help Last Order up. "I didn't expect to see you today. How are you?"

"MISAKA is great, just bored, MISAKA admits. The rest of her team is out with Team RWBY and JNPR, so it's just MISAKA and Neo. Ah!" Her eyes widened as she realized something. She reached back and grabbed Neo's sleeve and tried to pull her towards Penny. That worked about as well as one would expect, and she eventually gave up. "This is Neo, MISAKA says hurriedly as MISAKA is slightly ashamed she didn't introduce her first. She's part of MISAKA's team. Neo, this is MISAKA's friend, Penny."

"Hello, Neo!" Penny greeted with a beaming smile. Neo examined her up and down for a moment, torn between annoyed at the predicament and disgust at how happy this random girl seemed. Penny tilted her head. "You look familiar."

Neo shrugged.

"Neo's really strong, MISAKA brags. Not as strong as Accelerator, but really strong. She even beat Yang, who helped stopped the Breach."

"Wow, you must be strong," Penny agreed. "Are you going to be participating in the Vytal Festival? My team is going to."

Neo and Last Order shook their heads. There were several reasons why they weren't going to participate. One, Touma and Accelerator didn't have Aura. Kind of hard to have matches that use Aura to determine winners with one team not having it. Two, it was a pain and neither Accelerator nor Neo wanted to do it. Third, Last Order couldn't fight so they only have a three man team and they need four.

"Shame," Penny said dejectedly and then brightened up. "You'll be there to cheer me on, right?"

"Of course!" Last Order replied immediately.

' _What happens if she fights Team RWBY or JNPR?'_

Neo actually didn't care that much. Penny beating up Yang would be nice to see, but really Neo didn't care who won. She just wanted to add a little wedge between the two girls.

"MISAKA will cheer everyone on, MISAKA states unabashedly. Everyone can always have a rematch next year, right?"

"Of course!" Penny assured her. "We will all do our best, regardless of who we are up against. The point of this festival is to promote unity. We can also use the matches to improve ourselves."

Seriously, Neo couldn't believe how upbeat this person was. However, her interest was piqued when Penny leaned down to whisper into Last Order's ear.

"Thanks for keeping my secret."

"MISAKA has not told anyone, MISAKA promises."

Neo would find out the secret eventually. It wasn't like there was anything else to do.

"Are you staying long? MISAKA asks eagerly. Ruby would be happy to see you."

"Sadly, no." Penny shook her head and looked as if she wanted to. "General Ironwood needed to see Ozpin about something relating to the festival and I came along."

Neo's ears twitched at this important information.

"Who's he?" Last Order tilted her head in interest.

"That would be me."

A large, well dressed, and clean-shaven man came into view. He wore a white overcoat, with a gray undercoat, black sweater, a red necktie and a white glove on his right hand. His suit pants shared the same color as his overcoat and were tucked into silver boots accented in gray. Like all Atlas personnel, they were devoid of many bright colors. Since Atlas was up north, snow was common for most of the year, which meant colors only made them easier targets. Especially for the White Fang up there. Atlas had a long history of Faunus discrimination and even now, there were a lot of loopholes for employers to exploit.

The SDC was just one of many.

"Penny," The man said sternly. "What have I told you about wandering off?"

"Sorry, sir!" Penny replied immediately and looked down at the ground, knowing she did wrong.

"Now, now." Ozpin appeared behind him, holding a coffee mug. "She's still young, and kids will be kids. We should give them a little freedom. Good afternoon, Miss Order, Miss Neopolitan. I would like to introduce you to General James Ironwood. He is the Headmaster of Atlas Academy and a high ranking general of the Atlasian Military. "

"Good afternoon, Headmaster! MISAKA replies. Good afternoon, General Ironwood."

Neo didn't say anything. She still didn't trust Ozpin completely. He seemed like he knew more than he let on. Accelerator also caught onto that. However, James' eyes never left her.

"Pleasure is mine," James said to Last Order, eyes still on Neo. "Miss Neopolitan. Ozpin finished briefing me about your… situation. I have to say, I'm not entirely convinced."

Neo shrugged.

His opinion was nothing new to her. She doubted any of the higher-ups at Beacon truly believed she reformed. Glynda certainly didn't, and Neo knew Ozpin was spying on them. James had even less reason to trust her. He had been after Roman for years, yet always came short of catching him. Neo, as Roman's right hand, was bound to push a few buttons. Maybe she could do something to entertain herself at his expense. The opportunity came from an unlikely source, but Neo took it in stride.

"Oh?" Penny asked, looking between James and Neo. "Do you happen to know the General, Neo?"

Neo nodded and created her illusionary response in midair with bright pink curvy letters.

' _He kept chasing after me, but I had to reject his advances. The age difference was too much.'_

Her words were greeted with a moment of silence.

"Oh…my?" Penny covered her mouth and her face turned red. Last Order didn't fully understand the situation and tilted her head slightly. Ozpin choked on his coffee for a moment. James' face turned red like Penny's.

His expression was from anger.

Neo dug the knife in deeper.

' _I was already seeing someone, and yet he wouldn't take no for an answer. We had to move to Vale to escape him.'_

Penny and Last Order gapped at her and Ozpin was biting his lip to hold back the laughter.

"You are a criminal!" James exploded and slammed his fist on the wall. "You and Roman Torchwick!"

' _Former. I'm going straight now.'_

"Like I can believe that," James snorted, calming himself down. "You and Torchwick have caused untold damage. Your very presence here could be part of his plan. I'll let you know this. I was put in charge of Vale security since your boss's little escapade and I'll be damned if something like that happens under my watch."

' _Didn't Roman steal things from under your nose in Atlas?'_

It was worth doing this just to watch the general's blood pressure rise.

"Miss Neopolitan, I'm going to have to ask you to refrain from discussing your previous employer." Ozpin stepped in to prevent the argument from escalating. "If you truly wish to turn over a new leaf, you should show respect to our allies. That is the entire point of this festival. We wish to encourage unity among all kingdoms. Besides," The hint of a smirk formed. "I would hate to tell Mr. Kamijou that you were acting out when he returned. I'm sure he would be most upset."

Neo glared at him and decided it was better not to continue. She crossed her arms though, to show him how she felt.

"Mr. Kamijou?" Penny whispered. "He's the one Ruby mentioned before?"

"Yep! MISAKA answers brightly. He's also the one who brought Neo to our side."

"That's very impressive."

"The Savior always tries to save others."

"Well, Ozpin." James turned to address him directly. "I think it's time Penny and I headed out. We've kept you occupied long enough. Thank you for listening to our concerns."

"It was no trouble, James," Ozpin replied. "We are all on the same side after all. Sharing information is the least we can do."

"Come along, Penny." James ordered.

"Right away, sir." Penny turned to Last Order. "It was great seeing you again, and we might meet again soon when the tournament is about to start. I didn't know you had your Aura unlocked now. Did Ruby help you?"

"What?" Last Order looked confused at Penny's words and Ozpin froze. James noticed this and turned his attention back to the little girl and ex-criminal. "MISAKA never had her Aura unlocked, MISAKA states confused. MISAKA asked once before but was advised MISAKA should wait a few years as it can be an intense process."

"But I was sure you had Aura when we collided," Penny continued, sounding confused herself. "My sensor…I mean I honestly believe I'm detecting Aura from you."

"MISAKA swears she never had her Aura unlocked, MISAKA says honestly. Ask Neo." For once, Neo decided not to try to antagonize people here and nodded. She was also curious. "See?"

"Pardon me," Ozpin said and knelt down next to Last Order. He stared at her for a moment before putting his hand on her head. He frowned before standing up at last. "It's not Aura, but she definitely has a protective shield around her that resembles it. I'm curious how that's possible."

"What?" James looked like he had been struck in the face. "This little girl created an artificial Aura?"

Neo blinked.

 _The belt!_ She realized. That was the only option that would explain what was happening. Last Order never had her Aura unlocked, and Neo would never have activated it for her. _That Schnee actually managed to create artificial Aura with a Dust crystal? How? A shield generator would require a much bigger conduit. This could be worth billions!_

Neo reached down and clicked the belt buckle off and Ozpin raised an eyebrow.

"So that device is what caused this?" He asked. "Fascinating."

"How…?" James shook his head and knelt down. "Miss Order, was it? Can you tell me how you came across this belt? Did you make it or did someone give it to you?"

"MISAKA's friend Weiss made it, MISAKA says proudly. MISAKA… might have taken it without permission though, MISAKA adds quietly as MISAKA rubs her foot on the ground. Please don't tell."

"Weiss?" James asked. "As in Weiss Schnee?" Last Order's eyes widened in surprise but then nodded. James' expression and tone became noticeable kinder. "Don't worry. Weiss and I have known each other since she was around your age. I'm sure she won't be mad at you. May I see it?"

"Umm… MISAKA really shouldn't as it's not MISAKA's."

Neo actually stepped forward.

' _Sorry. We can't give something this valuable to Atlas without suitable compensation.'_

"I don't believe you have any say in this." James told her coldly.

"Now, now." Ozpin put a hand on his shoulder. "If this tech was indeed invented by Miss Schnee, she should be the one to discuss it with us. I'm not going to deny this could be a revolutionary breakthrough. When she returns, I'll make sure to let you know. I'm sure she will be happy to go over it in detail."

"Yes, of course." James stood up and regained his composure again. Military training at its finest. "I look forward to speaking with her when she returns. I'm sure her sister will be more than happy to come along. Miss Order, if you would be so kind as to pass on my offer to meet up when she returns from her mission?"

"Yes, MISAKA promises. I'm sure Weiss will be happy to demonstrate her invention. Though, MISAKA really should return it to her room."

"Thank you." He motioned to Penny, who gave them once last wave goodbye and followed the general.

Neo stuck her tongue out as they left.

"He's just a little impatient sometimes," Ozpin remarked conversationally. "He's pretty good at seeing the big picture."

Neo shrugged. Just because someone was good at a job, didn't mean she had to like him.

"I do suggest you return Miss Schnee's belt," Ozpin added. "It's not polite to take things without permission, even with good intentions."

"MISAKA is sorry, MISAKA apologizes. MISAKA will return it immediately."

"Then I'm sure to see you both around." Ozpin sipped his coffee. "It's good to see you behaving yourself, Miss Neopolitan. Keep this up, and I'll grant you permission to join your team on another mission."

Well… Neo didn't expect that.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter. All mistakes are** **SilverFang88's** **fault even if he didn't review this chapter. He remains with us in spirit.**

 **Favorite Ship Names:**

 **Touma and Yang: Fistbump / Punchline/ Imagine Dragon/ Love at First Punch/ Hair You Go Again / Shotgun Wedding**

 **Touma and Weiss: Cool to the Touch / Princess and the Pauper / Shattered Mirror**

 **Touma and Ruby: Blossoming / Thorny Rose / Speedy Rescue / Innocently Indecent/ Nectar of the Gods/ Klutzy Couple/ Knuckleheads**

 **Touma and Blake: Nine Lives / Bad Luck / Kami-Nyaan / Equality**

 **Touma and Velvet: Bunny Couple / Rabbit's Foot/ Lucky Number Zero/ Camera Shy**

 **Touma and Penny: Android's Dream / Faulty Electronics/ Lost Change**

 **Touma and Ren: Lotus Fist**

 **Touma and Jaune: Better Luck Next Time/ Lifesavers/ Brothers-At-Arms**

 **Touma and Nora: Glutton for Punishment / Divine Sparks**

 **Touma and Pyrrha: Babe Magnet/ Dense Armaments**

 **Touma and Coco: Black Coffee/ Stylish Illusion**

 **Touma and Fox: Eye-Caramba**

 **Touma and Glynda: Teacher's Pet / Promise Lands/ Dunce Cap/ Cougar vs Dragon**

 **Touma and Ozpin: Broken Replay Button/ Unknown Paragons**

 **Touma and Summer: Dragon Sunbathing/ In The Heat of Battle**

 **Touma and Adam: Chronic Crusaders/ Prick and the Pauper**

 **Touma and Emerald: Shattered Illusions / Illusion Breaker / Portmanteau Poverty**

 **Touma and Twins: Triple Threat / Cerberus**

 **Touma and Cinder: Through the Fire and Flame / Fire Demons / Sinner and Savior/ A Match Made In Hellfire**

 **Touma and Neo: Uncertain Flavor / Breaking Reality/ Stockholm Slasher Romance/ Silent Curses / There is No Spoon**

 **Touma and Roman: Corruption of the Innocent**

 **Touma and Salem: Burning Witch / Light and Shadow / Shattering Darkness/ Grimm Chances of Survival / Darklight**

 **Touma and Summer: Summer Break.**

 **Touma and Raven: Alpha and Omega/ Feather for Brains**

 **Touma and Qrow: Misfortune Squared / Bad luck Charms / Misfortunate Misfits/ Drunken Shenanigans / Handy Dandy Bad Luck Deflector**

 **Touma x Kali: Cat in the Cradle.**

 **Touma x Tsune: Love Hurts**

 **Accelerator and Weiss: Cold and Calculating / Ice Vector / A Frosty Reception/ Porcelain Complexion**

 **Accelerator and Yang: Road Rage / Short Fuse / Way of the Dragon/ War of the Red Eyes / Push Button to Die**

 **Accelerator and Ruby: One-Way Rose / No Brakes / Rose Manipulation**

 **Accelerator and Blake: Twilight Arrow / Chain and Sickly / Chasing Shadows**

 **Accelerator and Nora: Shattered Bones / Broken Dreams / Nerve Impulse/ Going the Distance**

 **Accelerator and Ren: Tranquil Fury/ Remaining Sane**

 **Accelerator and Velvet: White Flash / Hopping Mad / Unsuspecting Prey**

 **Accelerator and Glynda: Fix and Destroy**

 **Accelerator and Summer: Fast Forward to September**

 **Accelerator and Penny: String Theory/ Broken Toys/ Science Experiments / Singularity**

 **Accelerator and Sun: Sunny and Sullen**

 **Accelerator x Neo: Bad to the Cone**

 **Accelerator and Adam: Charging Bull/ Rabid Animals**

 **Accelerator and Mercury: Killer Moves/ Fade to Gray / Chemical Bromance.**

 **Accelerator and Emerald: Red Eyed Killers/ After Image**

 **Accelerator and Coco: Fashionable Disaster/ Fashion is a Science/ White Is The New Black/ Death by Chocolate**

 **Accelerator and Pyrrha: Opposites Attract/ Copper Aftertaste**

 **Accelerator and Raven: Yang's Nightmare/ Fallen Feathers**

 **Accelerator and Neo: Sadistic Streaks**

 **Accelerator and Roman: Stolen Smarts**

 **Accelerator and Salem: Wicked Grins/ Red Eyes, Take Warning / Highway to Hell**

 **Healthcare: What the fuck is this shit?**


End file.
